Puerto Rico Tourism Company announced as Host of the 2016 event.
Puerto Rico, a US Commonwealth, was announced as the Host destination for the 9th Routes Americas which will take place 7-9 February 2016 in San Juan. The event, which is the route development forum for the entire Americas region, will be hosted by Puerto Rico Tourism Company with the support of their partners Aerostar Airport Holdings LLC and Meet Puerto Rico.
“We are confident that the Island will serve as the perfect backdrop to a very productive Routes Americas. The Island may be known for its white sand beaches, spectacular scenery and vibrant culture, but it is also a great place to do business”, said Ingrid I. Rivera Rocafort, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
Katie Bland, Director Routes for UBM EMEA, organisers of the event, commented: “We are thrilled to be taking Routes Americas to Puerto Rico in 2016. Its geographical and cultural position as the bridge between the Americas makes it an ideal host for the event and it will offer the added convenience for delegates that are US citizens who have the advantage of entering Puerto Rico – a Commonwealth of the United States – with no passport. Puerto Rico is home to Luis Munoz Marin International Airport – the largest and busiest airport in the Caribbean – providing excellent connectivity to both North and South America and whose complete remodelling will be ready for showcasing in 2016. We look forward to working with Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Meet Puerto Rico, Aerostar and all of their partners over the coming twelve months”.
Located just above the Equator, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico is part of the Greater Antilles right at the heart of the Western Hemisphere. This strategic and uniquely centralised location makes it the perfect connection between north and south and continues to benefit from having the ‘best of both worlds’. Combining breathtaking natural beauty with a solid modern infrastructure Puerto Rico is a world-class tourist and business destination attracting many industries which have established operations there. Hosting Routes Americas in 2016 will allow the Host Team to showcase everything that the destination has to offer to the wider aviation community with over 550 senior industry professionals expected to attend the event.
The island is home to the largest airport and cruise homeport in the Caribbean and 2016 will mark the inauguration of the newly remodelled Luis Munoz Marin International Airport. A premier convention destination, Puerto Rico offers a unique positioning within the Caribbean, reachable via over 1,600 nonstop weekly flights from 43 destinations around the world. The strategic location of Puerto Rico coupled with outstanding connectivity makes it the best connected destination in the Caribbean.
Record Year for Routes Events
2014 was another record year for Routes, part of UBM EMEA, with more delegates than ever before attending its World Routes and Regional Route Development Forums.
A record number of 6,116 delegates representing 144 countries attended the six events that Routes organised around the globe in 2014. These forums, which focus entirely on air service development, have become the must-attend events of the annual calendar recognised for shaping the world’s future air networks.
Katie Bland commented: “The record attendance from airlines, airports and an increasing number of representatives from tourism authorities and other aviation stakeholders at our 2014 events highlights the importance of air service development and its economic impact on national and regional economies. With 27,300 face-to-face meetings taking place at our 2014 events, we offer the most efficient forum for everyone involved in negotiating and creating new air links.”
In total, 630 airlines and 1,500 airports were represented at the events, which took place in six countries in 2014. Five successful Routes Regional events took place during the year to foster air links within the world’s key regional aviation markets with the 7th Routes Americas in San Salvador, El Salvador, the 12th Routes Asia in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, the 9th Routes Europe in Marseille, France, the 9th Routes Africa in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and the first ever Routes Silk Road in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Almost 3,000 delegates gathered in Chicago, Illinois, USA at the end of September as World Routes, the world’s largest civil aviation gathering, celebrated its 20th anniversary at an event which was co-hosted by Chicago Department of Aviation and Choose Chicago. The event also saw attendance from many of the world’s leading carriers, including all of the top 10 and 40 of the top 50 airlines (measured by Available Seat Kilometres (ASK)).
Overall, this year’s events attendees saved 45,000 estimated days of travel by having their meetings at Routes. 11,800 users were active on Routesonline with 407,000 Route Exchange profile views supporting preparation for the meetings which took place.
Looking ahead to 2015, organisers are planning to build on the improvements made in 2014 and enhance the event experience even further. Routes events have already been confirmed and scheduled for 2015 and beyond, thanks to the in-depth Host selection process, which sees airports and tourism authorities submit a competitive bid to host one of the premier route development networking events. 2015 will see more ‘firsts’ for the event as World Routes heads to Africa for the first time, when the 21st World Route Development Forum takes place in Durban, South Africa and Routes Europe heads to the UK for the first time in its 10 year history. In addition, 2015 will see Routes Americas taking place in Denver, marking the first time the event has taken place in the US, Routes Silk Road return to Tbilisi when the event is hosted for the second consecutive year by United Airports of Georgia, and the inaugural Routes Middle East & Africa event take place in Bahrain. The complete 2015 event programme can be found below:
- Routes Americas: 1-3 February, Denver, Colorado (USA)
- Routes Asia: 15-17 March, Kunming (China)
- Routes Europe: 12-14 April, Aberdeen (Scotland)
- Routes Silk Road: 5-7 July, Tbilisi (Georgia)
- Routes Middle East & Africa: 31 May-2 June, Manama (Kingdom of Bahrain)
- World Routes: 19-22 September, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Province (South Africa).
2014 was also a phenomenal year for the Future Hosting Team with many announcements made over the last 12 months including two World Routes events. Future events that have already been announced for 2016 and beyond include: Routes Europe 2016 (Krakow, Poland), Routes Asia 2016 (Manila, the Philippines), World Routes 2016 (Chengdu, China) and World Routes 2017 (Barcelona, Catalonia).
Photo caption: San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
