A flight from Tocumen Airport in Panama City, arriving at the Sangster International Airport on Monday has sparked hope among the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) stakeholders.

“This arrival is significant because it gives us hope that Jamaica will rebound, our tourism industry will rebound in short order. It inspires us at the JTB to continue doing the work that we do, which is to market destination Jamaica so that we remain the premier tourism destination in the Caribbean,” shared (JTB) Regional Director, Odette Dyer

The flight had 98 passengers and seven crew members on board.
It was the airline’s first flight to the island, following the closure of the country’s borders earlier this year as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

She noted that the resumption will also strengthen the JTB’s efforts to get into the Latin American market as COPA Airlines services more than 80 gateways in Latin America.

“We are hopeful that we will see an increase in the number of weekly flights from the airline. As you know, a lot of airlines are just resuming [flights to Jamaica] and they have to really gauge the demand and then increase the service in response to what the market is really articulating,” she said.