David Rice, President and CEO of Barbados Tourism Authority travels to Brazil multiple times including ongoing meetings to secure direct flight from Sal Paulo Brazil, opening up South American markets.

1. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, March 8, 2010 – Barbados
has secured an agreement with GOL Linhas Aéreas
Inteligentes (GOL Intelligent Airlines) that will
guarantee direct airlift from Brazil starting June 26th.
The service will operate weekly out of Sao Paulo on
Saturdays, utilizing a 737 aircraft with 120
commercial seats.
Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) President and
CEO David Rice, who signed the agreement with David Rice (President and CEO of Barbados Tourism Authority), Yvette Adele Goddard
GOL’s CEO Constantino de Oliveira Jr, said the new (Embassador of Barbados in Brasil), Eduardo Bernardes Neto (Commercial Director of
flights were an important breakthrough into South GOL), and Hon. Richard L. Sealy (Minister of Tourism, Barbados)
America’s largest economy.
“Brazil is one of a few nations worldwide that has already emerged out of the recession and we are therefore ecstatic about this
direct air service. We are happy to have found such an invaluable partner in GOL and we look forward to long and fruitful rela-
tionship with them and their nation,” he said in Sao Paulo visited by the BTA delegation.
Meanwhile, the BTA’s VP for the Caribbean, South and Latin America, Walter Stokes, summed up the trip as “an excellent oppor-
tunity not only for Barbados’ tourism but also it is a good opportunity to establish commercial relations with Brazil and to
strengthen the commercial ties”.
GOL has commenced the process of securing a local general sales agent to look after on-island sales and promotion of the
Barbados-Brazil leg of the flight.
While in Brazil, Rice also led several meetings with potential destination representatives and advertising agencies, as well as tour
operators, all of whom will play a critical role in the success of this new service.
Aviation consultant Neville Boxill said those meetings were very productive.
“The destination representative will coordinate our cooperative marketing arrangements with the tour operators with the
advertising initiatives developed by the advertising agency. We also had an excellent meeting with tour operators who expressed
a considerable amount of interest in selling Barbados to their consumer base in Brazil. “As a matter of fact, eight tour operators
have already signed on to participate in a familiarization visit from March 10th to 13th and articulated a certain degree of
enthusiasm in their ability to sell Barbados’ tourism product.”
Executive vice president of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), Sue Springer described the exercise as a positive
one and added that some local hotels had already begun to pursue language training for their staff.
“We are also encouraging those hotels that were interested in hosting the Brazilian traveller that menus and hotel information
should be translated into Portuguese,” she said.
Springer also congratulated the BTA for leading the charge in this initiative and pledged the full support of the BHTA in ensuring
the longevity of the service.
“The new airlift once again opens up the Brazilian market and the hard work and dedication of the BTA team that achieved this
breakthrough has to be applauded. The Association will do all it can to support the BTA in ensuring that the flight is a success,”
she said.