By Linda Straker
Condor Airlines will be returning to Grenada with a direct weekly service from Frankfurt earlier than expected for the winter season.
“Condor has been so impressed with their figures that they have actually added flights. They were supposed to start towards the end of November, but now I believe their first flight is going to be on the 1 November,” Tourism Minister Alexandra Otway–Noel is quoted as telling the Government Information Service (GIS).
With the imminent return of direct flights from Frankfurt, Germany via Condor Airlines later on in the year, Otway–Noel says she anticipates further increases in the islands’ tourist arrival figures during the second half of 2014. Grenada, according to data from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), experienced an 18.1% increase in visitor arrivals during the first six months of 2014.
Condor pulled out of the Grenada market in 2009. Since re-entering business with Condor back in the month of March, Otway-Noel says that the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) has been working aggressively to market and promote the initial flight to the German public and German travel agents alike.
“The GTA has been instrumental in ensuring that we are running ads and we are engaging the travel trade over there, so that they know Grenada is back on the agenda in Germany. Condor is so pleased with what they are seeing, and the interest from Germany has been tremendous. So we are really excited.”
By early July, reports reaching the minister’s office were that the Condor Airline flight was already 80% sold out for the month of November. This hints a favourable increase in tourist arrival figures for the latter half of the year.
“We anticipate that our second half tourism figures will be just as glowing as the first half. We are very encouraged and I think that our new brand has had a lot to do with it. We have repositioned ourselves and placed ourselves out there as a responsible destination. What I think is really wonderful is that a lot of people are understanding where we want to go. We are all speaking the same language.”
Photo by bristolairfield member: james49
