More Canadian snowbirds

The region will soon welcome more tourists from Canada, which last week signed open skies agreements with Honduras and Nicaragua.

Legislators in Costa Rica and Canada for their part recently ratified an open skies treaty, signed in 2010.

The first result of the Canada-Costa Rica pact involves a flight of regional carrier Taca between San José and Montreal, with stopover in San Salvador, starting next month.

Air Canada has for several years offered direct flights between Toronto and San José.

Once the new agreements go into force, Nicaragua and Honduras can expect an increased number of Canadian visitors, who currently must fly to those countries via the United States.

The right to increase the number of bilateral connections should create more options for western Canadians, potentially involving Taca, Air Canada or Westjet, all of which operate scheduled services. In addition, Canadian charter carriers could offer more flights, especially during the high season.


Opportunities

• Tourism promotion
• Tour operators
• Charter Airlines