Cartagena de Indias was today named as the destination for the 5th Routes Americas event, to be held in 2013. Maria Claudia Gedeon, Financial & Commercial Director of Cartagena – Rafael Nuñez International Airport; Luis Ernesto Araujo, Chief Executive Officer of the Cartagena Tourist Board; Francisco Vergara Pineres, Executive Director of PROEXPORT Colombia; Peter Von Moltke, Chief Executive Officer of UBM Aviation and Katie Bland, Future Hosts Director for Routes attended the signing ceremony which took place today at World Routes in Berlin.
Speaking at the official signing ceremony at the 17th World Route Development Forum in Berlin, Maria Claudia Gedeon, said: "We are delighted to be hosting Routes Americas in 2013. The event will enable us to bring together the world's network planners and inform them about the potential opportunities for development from Rafael Nuñez International Airport. The best way to market Cartagena is for them to see for themselves what we can offer as a destination and leave a lasting legacy in their minds."
“We are delighted to announce Cartagena de Indias as a future host of Routes Americas,” said Katie Bland. “The passion and commitment of the airport and stakeholders impressed our selection team. This coupled with the impeccable conference facilities and stunning location makes Cartagena an ideal choice for our 5th Routes Americas event. Cartagena represents all that is new and exciting about market developments in South America. It is a fantastic and beautiful venue for Routes Americas and one which we are looking forward to sharing with the broader airline and airport community. Colombians are becoming more mobile and the domestic and international markets are both witnessing year-on-year growth.”
Cartagena, world heritage city and gateway to the Colombian Caribbean, has seen a recent rise in tourism as overall visitor numbers to Colombia have grown by 14% between January and June of 2011 compared to 2010. Rafael Nuñez International Airport is located within the limits of Cartagena de Indias, just ten minutes from the convention centre and 15 minutes from the hotel zone and receives more than 220 direct national flights every week allowing more than 700 international flights to connect to Cartagena from other cities in Colombia.
The airport is the 4th largest in Colombia handling over 2 million passengers for the first time in 2010 and this figure is set to grow even further in 2011. The terminal redevelopment currently underway will expand capacity to more than 3 million passengers annually.
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