Air Canada Rouge launches year-round non-stop service between Toronto and Trinidad
SASHA HARRINANAN Tuesday, December 27 2016
Five days before Christmas, Air Canada Rouge flight AC1880 landed at Piarco International Airport, Piarco on December 20, marking the end of an eightyear break in Air Canada’s non-stop service between Toronto and Trinidad; a route that was in existence for 60 years prior to its ending in 2008.
The Air Canada service to PoS from its Toronto hub will operate twice weekly (Tuesday and Thursday).
Tourism Minister, Shamfa Cudjoe, hosted a welcome reception at the airport that day, during which passengers who flew in from Toronto on flight AC1880 received commemorative eco-friendly token bags with local gifts, as tokens of appreciation from the ministry and the Tourism Development Company (TDC).
This year-round service between Toronto and Port-of-Spain is part of Air Canada’s ongoing global expansion, connecting its extensive domestic and international network through the global hub, Toronto Pearson International Airport; officially Lester B Pearson International Airport. Addressing the crew, Cudjoe noted that “in today’s fiercely competitive global market place, consistent, reliable and competitive air access is the lifeblood of any modern economy. In this light, therefore, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has sought to attract additional airlift both to Trinidad and to Tobago.†“We welcomed Condor and Thomas Cook to Tobago in November 2016. Moreover, as a result of our recent participation in ITB Berlin and the World Travel Market in London, we are in discussions with several other airlines - including Eurowings, Norwegian Airlines and Air Berlin – all in our efforts to secure additional airlift directly to Tobago.†Minister Cudjoe applauded Air Canada’s decision to recommence flights to Trinidad and wished the company all the best in this initiative.
Canada is home to a thriving business and financial community and a large Caribbean Diaspora. The ministry said the Toronto-Trinidad non-stop service “will play an instrumental role in serving both communities and in enhancing trade and economic ties between TT and Canada.†With an average of 40,000 to 50,000 visitor arrivals from Canada each year, Canada is this country’s second largest source market. The typical Canadian visitor stays for approximately two weeks and spends approximately TT $6,500 per trip, generating approximately TT $0.34 billion (US$ 0.05 billion) in foreign direct revenue.
More than 50 percent of Canadian visitors come to Trinidad and Tobago to visit Friends and Relatives (the VFR market); followed by approximately 20 percent who come for leisure.
During the proceedings on December 20, the ministry announced that early next year (2017), the TDC will launch a new tourism mobile application which will provide users with a comprehensive insight into TT’s many events and festivals, as well as provide feedback regarding the quality of visitor experiences whilst in TT.
