Travel to Central America

It is quite interesting to see the lack of major European Airlines such as Air France, KLM, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Iberia, traveling from Paris, Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt, and Madrid, flying to multiple destinations in Central America and making excellent connections with the other Central American capitals as well as South America via intra-regional flights.

There are very few direct flights and they can be seasonal, British Airways flies directly from London to Cancun, Mexico; Iberia flies from Madrid to San Salvador, Guatemala City, San José, and Panamá. Air France has direct flights from Paris to San José and Panamá City. Lufthansa flies from Frankfurt to Panamá City KLM from Amsterdam to Panamá City.

A Direct flight from Europe to Central America would be on average 10 Hours and 30 mins without connection with a Connection there is nothing under 15 hours (if you don’t have to layover). 

With the lack of Direct flights to Central America It is important to note that the main European airlines have connections to the main airports in the United States, and these flights are operated in conjunction with the main North American airlines such as American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines among others, which offer itineraries and routes to Central America. But the down side to this is the Layovers between flights which would incur the additional expense of Hotel and dining accommodation.

The time is now for the lesser countries to start putting their countries name on the tourist market as the world is calling out for new direct options especially from Europe, (remember there is Latin influence in Europe so language barrier is not an issue). From my personal side I would encourage Belize Tourism Board to start pushing connections as the opportunity is vast for potential revenue and additional income to boost Belize

Let’s take a Look at what the potential cost and time of a connection flight from London to Belize via Miami would look like on all airlines, the flights All arrive from London arrive into Miami after 14:55, now all flights leaving from Miami to Belize leave before Noon so automatically you have to Stay overnight in Miami, for some great you stay in Miami but you really cannot experience Miami that much as you would have to be at the Airport by 9am the next day to check in, go through customs and Board. (Atlanta is similar with flights for the layover)

So literally you lose a day of your vacation at a cost – Ave Hotel US$200, Ave Food Cost $60, Ave Bev $16 (All Based on 2 People) which in total would be around US$275 you have spent on waiting for the connection. Atlanta is similar although slightly cheaper. But at the end of this all you have lost a day and lost money for your holiday!

Central American Countries (#belize #guatemala #Panama #costarica #honduras #nicaragua )look at these figures (example on Cancun) 70% of people on the flight are tourists and the average flight will hold 300 passengers (including crew) so roughly 210 people would be tourist and crew who would be overnight customers in the country, this would generate approximately US$30,000 additional per day (arrival only) of revenue (excluding taxes, customs, service charge and extras) if a connection was removed. If you have 4 flights a week that is US$120,000 additional revenue per week. 

So, if you think about it your connection countries are generating a potential weekly Income of US$120,000. It is time for the Central American countries to start vying for the tourist markets of the European world, we cannot rely solely on North America, it’s time to show them where real coffee and chocolate comes from, where ancient civilisations once ruled, new original cultures and cuisines are found, where jungle meets coastal, where the Pacific and Caribbean Sea are separated by 1hr30 min flight, as well as becoming a gateway to South America, it’s not a seriously long journey as Most Flights to Asia are nothing less than 12 Hours!

When tourists go on holiday they will have to spend money to make an adventure to make the most of it, so the Average Daily cost in places from LA, NY, DUBAI, SINGAPORE, MIAMI range from US$125 - $238 pp per day, while in the Central America selection of PANAMA, COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, BELIZE range from US$45 - $100 pp per day. This means that those who travel to Central America will get a good opportunity to spread their monetary value out. 

Airlines have had it difficult with the pandemic and states of economy, now the fuel is an issue but tourism is still there and will always be, people want to discover and explore. This leaves it to you to start expanding your reach and head for these new destinations,

Tourism market is now again beginning to grow and it is now or never to get onto the #Tourism train, the crises of short haul travel around Europe is a nightmare and people are wanting something different! Here is Central America it is different and it is a superb experience, it may not be first world but it is authentic and unique. From the jungle and cayes of Belize to the Coffee plantations & lakes of Guatemala, the Canal & coasts of Panama, the Thermal life & natural wonders of Costa Rica and countless other rich cultures and adventures these countries have, these destination are made for exploring.

There is still so much to discover and see in the world, so we need to share our life and cultures, be more open to change and let people see for themselves what you have to offer. Seeing it on television or pictures is great, but "seeing for real" nothing beats that. trying something for the first time and having stories to share, say to someone "I DID THAT" and not "I wish I could"

#travel #holiday #adventure #flying #destinations #change #explore #discover #centralamerica #tourist #new #unique #culture #diversity #cuisine #britishairways #airfrance #klm #iberia #lufthansa #airlines