A new destination for the rapidly-growing carrier

Above: the Cayo Espanto resort in Belize

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Starting this December, Copa Airlines will be offering its first-ever service to Belize.

The Panama-based carrier will be operating two weekly direct flights between Panama City and Belize City.

With this addition, Copa Airlines is now covering all of Central America, and has reached 71 total cities and 31 countries in North, Central, South America and the Caribbean.

“The connectivity will open enormous opportunities for tourism and commercial development for this interesting Caribbean country, as well as allowing for tourist from the same region to have the opportunity to enjoy all the tourism and commercial strengths Belize has to offer,” said Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines.

Copa Airlines offers a variety of international flights from the Hub of the Americas in Panama.

“I must reiterate how important this partnership is, as COPA will not only supply significant potential markets for Belize, but also offer excellent and competitive linkages to the Caribbean, Central and especially to the South American market,” said Belize Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Civil Aviation Manuel Heredia Jr. “Currently,  the latter represents less than 5% of overnight tourist arrivals to Belize, with the biggest barrier being limited accessibility. As a result, and in keeping with our initiation of strategic and targeted marketing efforts in South America, this partnership could not come at a more opportune time.”