Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer and his Brazilian counterpart, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, are exploring the possibility of establishing direct air links between the countries to facilitate trade in goods and services including tourism. Brazilian cities being targeted for direct flights include Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Belem and Salvador, each of which has a population of at least one million. The decision to explore air links was taken last week, during a bilateral meeting between the two leaders on the margins of a Brazil-CARICOM Summit. Antigua and Barbuda’s prime minister was one of only three CARICOM leaders who were afforded the opportunity to meet with the Brazilian President one on one.
“There is no doubt that Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism industry would receive a significant boost if there were direct flights between this country and Brazil. Brazil has a population of over 150 million people. That is a market we cannot afford to ignore,” Spencer said. “Direct air links would not only allow us to increase our tourist arrivals but would also allow us to diversify our tourism base.” The two leaders also agreed to deepen cooperation in tourism through the introduction of innovative multi-destination tourism packages. These packages, which would combine attractions in Antigua and Barbuda with those in Brazil can be expected to create significant demand in countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
“Brazil is a great friend of Antigua and Barbuda, and it is important that we cooperate in a range of areas including tourism. We are grateful for their assistance and we will continue to build this very important relationship,” Spencer said. Both leaders also agreed to cooperate in a number of other areas including education, anti-drug trafficking measures, investments and renewable energy