Barbados welcomed its first direct Ethiopian Airlines flight from Lagos, Nigeria this morning as the island prepares to host the first ever AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ATIF2022).
The Government of Barbados and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) are hosting ACTIF2022 from September 1-3, 2022, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
To facilitate delegates planning to attend, Ethiopian Airlines has provided a direct chartered return flight between Africa and Barbados.
The flight arrived at the Grantley Adams International Airport around 10:30a.m. on Wednesday with some 103 passengers, which included delegates for the conference and over 20 media personnel.
More than 1,000 people have registered for the major three-day conference.
The passengers were greeted by authentic Bajan performances from members of the Pompasette entertainment group.
They were also welcomed by Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Business Development Sandra Husbands, Chief Exceutive Officer of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) Jens Threnhart and his Chief Product Development Officer Marsha Alleyne, Chief Executive Officer of Invest Barbados Kaye Brathwaite and other officials.
During the September 1 to 3 conference, officials are expected to discuss the possiblity of having the direct flight from Lagos to Bridgetown on a regular basis.
Minister Husbands said she was looking forward to the discussions on trade and investment in the coming days, while Threnhart told journalists he was hoping the strengthening of ties will lead to increased tourism business.
