News Americas, MARIGOT, St. Martin, Fri. July 29, 2011: British Airways CEO, Keith Williams, is set to be in St. Martin this September for a special Caribbean conference.
Williams will deliver the key note speech at the first State of the Industry Conference from the Caribbean Tourism Organization, set for St. Martin from September 14-17th.
Williams’ speech will follow last year’s address by Willie Walsh at the Leadership Strategy Conference and highlights British Airways’ commitment to the Caribbean, whose economy is very dependent on tourism.
Williams became British Airways’ chief executive in January 2011, following the airline’s merger with Iberia. He also sits on the Board of the two airlines’ parent company, International Airlines Group. As chief financial officer of British Airways over the previous five years, he played a leading part in the airline’s achievement of a record operating margin in 2007, before steering it through the worst recession in its history.
“Together with our friends and colleagues in the Caribbean, we look forward to reinforcing the region’s position as a luxury leisure destination,” commented Williams. “With such a diverse range of islands, it’s no surprise that these routes continue to be a firm favorite for British and international travelers. British Airways is proud to be flying to more destinations in the Caribbean than any other European airline.”
In addition to the increase in services to several Caribbean destinations, in March 2011 British Airways also launched a service from London to Puerto Rico. The new flight from Gatwick to San Juan boosted the number of British Airways flights to the Caribbean to 64 a week across 15 destinations.
“The conference will look at the current state of the Caribbean tourism industry and how to deal with issues that impact on the sector, with a view to building for the future and of course BA will play a major part in this,” said CTO Secretary General, Hugh Riley.
