Aviation and Transport – Bahamas Financial Services Board

China-Bahamas Air Travel

@BahamasFSB / May 29, 2015

Bahamas Minister of Transport and Aviation the Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin and Li Jiaxiang, Chief of the Civil Aviation Administration of China yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to allow for increased air traffic between China and The Bahamas. Reportedly, the MoU is for an air service agreement (ASA) between China and The Bahamas, providing the legal framework to facilitate air traffic between the two countries. Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie presided at the signing ceremony yesterday. He said, “*We feel that our future looks bright when it comes to closer relations between the Peoples Republic of China and the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, particularly in the context of Chinese tourists who spend a lot of money around the world. In our meetings, we anticipated that one day soon we would be having and receiving more of those tourists in The Bahamas.”* Minister Hanna-Martin quoted estimates of about 140 million Chinese tourists travelling to other countries this year. *“If The Bahamas got just a small, tiny fraction of that, it would be an incredibly significant impact to the marketplace,”* she said. *“This is a significant day in the history of our country, and we believe that this will (lead) towards stronger relations between the two countries, air traffic ultimately, and an impact on our economy.”* Li Jiaxiang said *“In recent years we have witnessed important enhancements and improvements in national relations between China and The Bahamas. Especially since the visit of Prime Minister Christie, we have experienced ever-intensifying relations between our two countries. We have expanded our cooperation, both in terms of the depth and the scope.“* The Civil Aviation Chief further noted that the past few years has also seen ever-increasing investments of Chinese companies in The Bahamas, plus increased “people to people” exchanges. He also commented on the beauty of The Bahamas, and the strength of the country’s tourism infrastructure. *“So we believe that it’s high time – the right time – that we have air links between China and The Bahamas and it’s very important that we have air services between our two countries. The MOU will lay an important foundation for the direct air links, and also for the ever-increasing aviation relations between our two countries,”* Li said.

Aviation and Transport, International Issues, The Economy

The Bahamas Again Tops 10 Most Popular Caribbean Private Jet Destinations

@BahamasFSB / February 11, 2015

XOJET, a leading private aviation services company, has provided [data](http://blog.xojet.com/travel-booking-and-tips/top-10-most-popular-caribbean-destinations/) on the firm’s 10 most popular destinations in the wider Caribbean region for the last winter season, and The Bahamas led the way again. XOJET says its clients explore the most beautiful destinations around the world for business and leisure. *“And from what we hear, it feels good to enjoy all that the world has to offer. Throughout the winter months, there’s no place to relax and unwind quite like the beautiful Caribbean Islands. In 2014, the Caribbean accounted for nearly 20% of our flight activity – and with good reason.”* Year-after-year, there’s one region that continuously tops every XOJET flyers list of go-to hideaways: the Caribbean Islands. From unparalleled beaches to international fare, have a look at XOJET’s top 10 most popular Caribbean destinations: 1. The Bahamas (Nassau) 2. Turks & Caicos 3. St. Martin 4. Bahamas (Abaco Islands) 5. Bermuda 6. St. Thomas 7. Antigua and Barbuda 8. Anguilla 9. Cayman Islands (Georgetown) 10. The Bahamas (Great Exuma) According to a media release from XOJet, *“The regions’ open invitation and hospitality invites you to experience it all. Due to the geographical challenges of these locations, private jet charter offers the most convenience when visiting these secluded islands.”* XOJET is one of the largest private aviation companies in North America. It owns and operates the largest chartered fleet of super midsize jets, and supplements its fleet with a partner network of over 900 jets, all of which are maintained to exceed the highest level of safety standards in the industry. XOJET is the only private aviation company to receive the top two rankings in all twelve ARG/US safety categories.

Aviation and Transport, Business, Newsletter, The Economy

Nassau – Top Destination for Private Jet Charters

@BahamasFSB / December 26, 2014

Private jet charter operator PrivateFly recently released an analysis of flight activity to the Caribbean, tracking the jet stream of the Super Rich. Reported figures indicated there were 12,566 charter flights to the ten busiest Caribbean airports alone during last winter, the high season for Caribbean travel. Based on available data on average “destination spend” (excluding fuel and landing fees) by private jet travellers there was some $867 million in spending to the destinations where the top ten airports were located. Nassau, St. Maarten and Turks and Caicos led the way, accounting for half of those flights, with 6,922 arrivals and spending of nearly $478 million. The top destination was Nassau, where private jet charter fliers alone brought $278 million. The remaining 7 of the top 10 included two other Bahamian Islands, Abaco (5) and North Eleuthera (8); with the others being San Juan, St. Thomas, Bermuda, Anguilla and Cayman. Douglas Gollan, Group President and Editor-in-Chief of Elite Traveler Magazine says, “We continue to see the Caribbean as one of the preferred destinations for our readers, especially those travelling by private jets and mega-yachts.” Elite Traveler Magazine tracks the jet stream of the super rich and chronicles the vacations and purchasing habits of affluent travellers across the world. He added, “When one considers the above numbers represent only 33 to 50 percent of total private aviation activity to the region and only the ten busiest airports, it shows the huge opportunity for destinations and resorts to increase their share of super rich winter travel spending.” Carol Cork, Head of Marketing at PrivateFly, confirms that charter is only a portion of private jet activity – the rest being owned jets and fractionally owned jets. The [Bahamas Ministry of Tourism](http://www.bahamas.com) maintains a strategy of targeting high income private flyers. Aviation Specialist Greg Rolle says it is a part of the ministry’s objectives to make the country number one in private aviation. “Our private aviation objectives are two-fold: to increase general aviation traffic and expenditure and to expose more Bahamians to business opportunities in the general aviation industry,” He added, “These numbers and revenue assure us that private pilots are coming to The Bahamas and the three Bahamas islands mentioned in the ranking all have fixed based operators (FBOs) that are owned and operated by Bahamians.” The companies credited for the number-one position include Odyssey Aviation and Executive Flight Support in Nassau, Cherokee Aviation in Abaco and White Crown Aviation in Eleuthera. The Ministry’s aviation marketing efforts encompass outreaches towards private pilots and, in fact, its strategy includes aggressively building relationships with all major aviation executives; e.g. through the [Bahamas Flying Ambassadors](http://www.bahamas.com/flying-ambassadors) programme. It has formed relationships with aviation clubs, associations, aviation schools, FBOs, the Experimental Aircraft Association and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association – all creating more awareness of the general aviation market, its value to the Bahamian economy, and career/business opportunities for Bahamians.