The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

SOME 1,400 European passengers will travel to Grand Bahama this summer with the return of the Italian charter Alpitour, which commenced direct flights from Milan to Freeport on Thursday.

The programme will run 12 weeks, bringing between 100 and 120 passengers per week aboard a B767-300 aircraft for a seven-day stay at the Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach Resort.

The 8-hour flight arrived at the Grand Bahama International Airport at 2.45pm, with 123 passengers.

Betty Bethel, director of tourism in Freeport, was on hand to welcome the guests, and was pleased about the return of Alpitour and tour operator Villaggi Bravo.

“We are happy to have them back,” Ms Bethel said during a press conference at the airport. “We are pleased to have at least 1,400 guests over the next 12 weeks visit directly from Milan, Italy.”

With hotel room inventory still soft on Grand Bahama, Ms Bethel indicated that the return of the Italian charter is something that officials look forward to.

“It means we have an opportunity to maintain that programme that resumed last year. Viva Fortuna delivered an excellent product, and Villaggi Bravo was very pleased that they increased their capacity this year, and it gives us an ability to sustain the summer programme while (we are) still soft in terms of our inventory of hotels.”

Ms Bethel noted that the tour operator has a 90 per cent familiarity with the marketplace in Italy, and so they are looking to capture the four markets there.

The Bahamas Tourist Office in Italy works in close collaboration with Alpitour and Villaggi Bravo to maintain the partnership and continue to grow the programme.

“Hopefully, next year we also want to expand not just to increase capacity, but for a longer stay. So we are anticipating perhaps a May start up going through the end of August,” said Ms Bethel.

Cristina Cazzani at the Bahamas Tourist Office in Italy said the charter flight from Italy first started in 1992 when the hotel was called Club Fortuna.

“We have sent lots of Italians in the summer through charters with different tour operators, and in 2011 we started with Alpitour,” she said.

Simona Reale, the manager of Brand Villaggi Bravo, said they are happy to be in Freeport again.

“We experienced great success last summer in terms of the number of passengers and the satisfaction of the guests,” she said.

Ms Reale said Villaggi Bravo launched a major promotion in Italy, reaching six million through radio and social networks such as Facebook and Instagram.