Quite understandably, much has been made of TIA’s coup in landing the Panamanian carrier Copa Airlines, which will begin four-times-a-week round trips to Panama City in December. It means TIA will finally have long-sought direct flights to a Latin American hub city. As a consequence, it means easier and less expensive access for Tampa Bay travelers to major markets across Latin America.
It’s a very big deal long term for a Tampa Bay region that increasingly wants to market itself as a natural Gateway to the Americas. It also has serious short-term, bottom-line appeal. TIA CEO Joe Lopano has frequently cited studies that show a daily international flight generates more than 1,000 jobs and an annual economic impact of $150 million. The specifics around here range from tourist exposure to Suncoast beaches to health care interest in USF’s downtown Tampa CAMLS (Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation) facility.
Also worth noting is the regional effort–encompassing both parts of the bay–required to make the pitch and close the deal. TIA was aided by the marketing-support commitments made by the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce. Key parts were played by Visit St. Pete/Clearwater and Visit Tampa Bay. The Tampa-Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. will coordinate business and trade missions to Latin America.
The Tampa Bay Rays even cooperated in a personalized welcome to Tropicana Field for Jose Montero, Copa’s director of planning–and a big baseball fan. Lopano brought him to the Trop for a Rays-Yankees game, and they sat behind the Rays’ dugout. Montero’s smiling visage appeared on the Trop’s JumboTron. And since the game was carried by ESPN, his family and friends back in Panama could see him on TV. He was obviously in a major league market.