Airlines Upbeat About U.S. Virgin Islands, Boschulte Reports From Canada

Airlines Upbeat About U.S. Virgin Islands, Boschulte Reports From Canada

QUEBEC, Canada — The V.I. Department of Tourism reports that airlines serving the territory are satisfied with their route performance and some are looking forward to increasing capacity to the islands in the months ahead.

Speaking at the conclusion of the 12th Routes Americas conference in French Canada, Tourism Commissioner designee Joseph Boschulte said the conference presented the destination with an opportunity to update airline partners on the progress the islands have made since the hurricanes of 2017.

Airlines Upbeat About U.S. Virgin Islands, Boschulte Reports From Canada

Tourism Commissioner Designee Joseph Boschulte met with LIAT’s Scheduling Manager Jabari Jemmott (left) and Chief Commercial Officer Audra Walker.

Airline executives were especially interested in learning of the reopening of several hotels as well as the uptick in Airbnb accommodations and villa rentals across the territory as part of the wider accommodations landscape in the Virgin Islands.

“We also had an opportunity to speak about our larger accommodations properties which are expected to come back on line later this year as well as next year,” Boschulte said, explaining that as the destination positions itself for the next winter season “at a minimum, we must maintain pre-hurricane airlift into both St. Thomas and St. Croix.”

During the three-day route development forum for the Americas, the Commissioner Designee met with carriers currently serving the territory, including American Airlines, Cape Air, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, LIAT, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines, and held discussions with Sun Country Airlines about its potential return from Minneapolis. He also connected with Allegiant and Southwest Airlines to begin the dialogue about potential future airlift development.

“This was an extremely important and cost-effective meeting to connect with so many airline partners,” Boschulte said.

It was hard for conference delegates, who were subjected to sub-zero temperatures and back-to-back winter storms during their visit.

“It was important to be here because our competition is here,” he said. “And in order to be an effective player in the tourism space in 2019, you have to be visible and you have to promote why people should choose to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands over any other place in the world.”

Routes Americas connects senior decision makers from the region’s leading airlines, airports and tourism authorities to discuss new market opportunities and the evolution of existing services, and encourages the building of high-value relationships with some of the most influential aviation professionals from across the region.

Boschulte said the Department of Tourism plans to embark on a strategy to drive greater business from cities in the Midwest region of the United States, including Chicago and Minneapolis, and will update the industry and the community on strong capacity scheduled for the destination over the summer, from cities such as Atlanta, Houston, New York and Washington, D.C.

About the U.S. Virgin Islands

For more information about the United States Virgin Islands, go to VisitUSVI.com, follow us on Instagram ( @visitusvi) and become a fan on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/VisitUSVI).

When traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. citizens enjoy all the conveniences of domestic travel – including on-line check-in – making travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands easier than ever. As a United States Territory, travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands does not require a passport from U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland.

Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are the same as for entering the United States from any foreign destination. Upon departure, a passport is required for all but U.S. citizens.

Airlines Upbeat About U.S. Virgin Islands, Boschulte Reports From Canada
V.I. Tourism Department Commissioner Designee Joseph Boschulte (right) meets with Andrew Bonney, Cape Air’s Senior Vice President of Planning.