Colombian national carrier, Avianca will launch a new regular link to the Caribbean island of Barbados in the Lesser Antilles from its El Dorado International Airport hub in Bogota from the start of next month. The new twice weekly link to Grantley Adams International Airport in Bridgetown will commence from December 2, 2015 and will be flown using a 100-seater Airbus A318 on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

This will be the only regular link between Bogota and Barbados and will support the increasing interest from Latin American tour operators in providing holiday packages into more Caribbean markets. Avianca already offers charter flights into the Caribbean with links to Aruba, Curaçao, Cancun, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo and Puerto Rico.

According to Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. Chief executive officer, William Griffith, a joint marketing strategy with Avianca and the travel trade will focus on positioning Barbados as an enchanting getaway for families with children and for couples.

Ahead of the launch these promotional efforts commenced in the first week November with a familiarisation trip with Avianca’s top-producing travel agencies and tour operators. Local industry partners will also conduct a roadshow mid-November to network with key operators in Bogota.

“This service will allow multigenerational travellers and those seeking a romantic getaway to plan three, four or seven-day trips, which we see as critical for the long-term success of this exciting new service. We believe this service will also attract travellers from nearby South American cities seeking a convenient connection to Bridgetown,” said Griffith.

Alongside supporting point-to-point demand from the Colombian capital the new flight will also support connections from both local and regional markets including Sao Paulo, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; Cartagena, Cali y Medellin, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Guayaquil, Ecuador; San Salvador, El Salvador; Panama City, Panama and destinations across Mexico via the Avianca hub at El Dorado International Airport.

Barbados stands out from many other tropical islands with its Caribbean culture still retaining a little UK heritage left over from British rule. The island is home to more than 92 kilometres of long blonde beaches, which are backed by palm trees and lapped by luminous blue waters.

It is the wealthiest and most developed country in the Eastern Caribbean and enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region. Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, in recent years the economy has diversified into light industry and tourism with about four-fifths of GDP and of exports being attributed to services.

According to the Barbados Statistical Service, a total of 519,598 stay-over visitors came to Barbados in 2014. This represented an increase of 2.2 per cent when compared to 2013 which recorded 508,514 tourist arrivals. Declines in visitor arrivals from USA (-1.7 per cent), Canada (-2.2 per cent), Trinidad and Tobago (-11.7 per cent) and other CARICOM states (8.7 per cent), were offset by growth in Europe; UK (10.7 per cent), Germany (16.4 per cent), and other Europe nations (6.4 per cent), as well as other emerging markets (6.1 per cent).