Caribbean News Now!

By Jeffrey Todd
Nassau Guardian Business Editor

NASSAU, Bahamas -- A top executive at Air China says direct service to The Bahamas is not an option but China’s flag carrier is instead targeting more flights to North American hubs and striking up partnerships with local carriers to funnel traffic into the Caribbean.

Zhihang Chi, vice president and general manager for North America at Air China, revealed to Guardian Business that the airline has ordered an incredible $10.7 billion worth of new aircraft that will help it to achieve this end.

“We still don’t have the airplane to effectively fly direct,” Chi said. “It will be based on partnerships through North America and creating connecting traffic. If you want to fly an airplane to Nassau direct, you’re bound to lose money. There is no question about it.”

The Air China chief, speaking at the Routes Americas 2012 conference, is now engaged in a series of meetings in preparation for the airline’s continued expansion. The carrier has experienced growth between 10 percent and 12 percent for the past several years, Chi added.

“The only way to make flights work into the Caribbean is to fly into a thick gateway city, such as Miami, Atlantis or New York City,” he explained. “From there, put Chinese passengers on a connecting flight operated by say JetBlue or Southwest or American Eagle.”

Chinese tourism in The Bahamas and region at large has served as a persistent buzz word among tourism officials.

On Cable Beach, the $2.6 billion Baha Mar development broke ground exactly one year today. Funded by the Export-Import Bank of China, with construction provided by China Construction America, this country’s ties with the emerging superpower are on the rise.

According to statistics from the China Business network, up to 100 million Chinese will be traveling abroad by 2015. Less than 10 million traveled abroad in 1999, and 65 million did so in 2011.

Meanwhile, Guardian Business has reported that the Bahamian government is pursuing an e-distribution system to greatly simplify the process of obtaining visas for Chinese tourists.

Chi felt this initiative was absolutely crucial to increasing airlift into the Caribbean.

“We cannot get enough passengers. We see them as gold,” he said. “If they want to come to Nassau, we want them to fly Air China either to New York or some other location and connect. I don’t want them to fly a US carrier to Miami and then down here. We want that business. We are completely dedicated to that.”

That said, Chi told Guardian Business the government here in The Bahamas should do more to promote the country in China and “spend some dollars”.

While Chinese understand the concept of paradise, he stressed the fact that there are many other destinations that are quite similar. The more presence The Bahamas has in China, the better.

Chi pointed out that airlift is only one consideration for prospective tourism hubs.

“The Chinese tourist is the biggest spender,” he said. “They have more disposable income and want to splurge.”

The average Chinese tourist has a spend of $6,500 each, he said, mostly because travelers enjoy shopping in foreign locales.

Since Chi took up his current post seven years ago, Air China’s traffic to North America has doubled.

“Everything here in the US and Caribbean is a bargain,” he added. “Chinese tourists are already here. And more will be coming.”

Republished with permission of the Nassau Guardian

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