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Evacuation of stranded visitors in Grenada now in motion
Barbados is acting as hub for the evacuation of the tourists stranded in Grenada, where no commercial flights are yet allowed.

Ground handlers, including Virgin Holidays, British Airways Holidays, Caribbean Connection, Tropical Places, Excel, and DER from Germany, have been working around the clock to evacuate their passengers to Barbados on charter flights.
With the support of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), Barbadian hotelier Peter Odle, 1st vice president of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), has chartered two planes to assist Grenadian hoteliers with the evacuation of tourists. In Barbados, the BHTA and the local hospitality industry partners have pooled to provide lodging for the visitors.

Our colleagues have shown a tremendous spirit of good fellowship, said Berthia Parle, President of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA). National hotel associations across the region - from Bermuda in the Northern Atlantic to Antigua in the North Eastern Caribbean, to Curacao and Trinidad in the Southern Caribbean - have offered their help.

To accommodate passengers who have made it from Grenada to Barbados and now wish to return to the UK, British Airways will operate an additional wide-bodied 777 aircraft from Barbados to London, departing at 8:15 p.m. this evening.

Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic Airways is giving guests and passengers the option to continue their holiday in Barbados, or to return to the UK.

The BHTA is also seeking to assist Grenadians who are stranded in Barbados and have not been able to return home. Theodore Koumelis - Monday, September 13, 2004