Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama foresee growing interest from the UK and elsewhere in Europe following a spate of new direct flights to the region this autumn.
Thomson Airways began a weekly charter from Gatwick to Liberia in Costa Rica on November 2, with parent company Tui Travel also launching a weekly flight from Dusseldorf to Guanacaste on Saturday.
Last month Iberia launched the first direct flight from Europe to El Salvador, flying from Madrid four times a week, with connections on regional carrier Taca Airlines to other Central American cities.
Iberia also increased its capacity to Panama by adding a non-stop flight four times a week to the current services that fly via Guatemala.
The launches came as Iberia prepares to merge with British Airways, a move that regional tourism leaders hope will boost UK arrivals to the region.
El Salvador welcomed 420 UK visitors in the first six months of the year and 9,500 from Europe. Next year it anticipates 40,000 will fly via Madrid.
Tourism minister Jose Napoleon Duarte Duran told Travel Weekly: “Our plan is to increase to a daily flight if loads are high.” He hopes to move to 11 flights a week within two years.
The ministry has no immediate plans for a UK campaign, but head of marketing Margarita Vilanova said: “We are talking to the BBC and looking at a trade and consumer campaign next year.”
The El Salvador delegation was due to meet BA representatives at WTM, believing increased services would also feed traffic to Nicaragua and Honduras via Taca Airlines connections.
Costa Rica will go further and seek a direct service from BA to complement the daily Iberia flights it receives from Madrid and the weekly charter from Gatwick.
Marketing director Gustavo Segara said: “We hope for maybe two BA services a week by 2012.”
The country expects UK visitor numbers to increase by more than one-third next year to 40,000.
- More from World Travel Market at travelweekly.co.uk/wtm2010