By K. NANCOO-RUSSELL

Freeport News Reporter

Tourism on Grand Bahama is set to get a boost with the announcement by Spirit Airlines that it will begin flying nonstop between Grand Bahama and its Fort Lauderdale base beginning December 13, 2007.

With the recent announcement of Air Tran Airways' discontinuation of its flights to Grand Bahama due to its inability to compete with other carriers, Spirit Airlines' daily nonstop service is a welcome addition to Grand Bahama's tourism industry.

In a press release issued yesterday announcing the new route, Minister of Tourism and Aviation Neko Grant said the daily service to Grand Bahama could be instrumental in opening up the island to new markets.

"We are delighted to welcome to Grand Bahama Island the daily service of Spirit Airlines between Freeport, the island's capital, and Fort Lauderdale. Its addition will not only broaden our access to the South Floridian market, which drives so much of our business, but will also mean greater accessibility to other markets served by Spirit," Grant stated in the release.

The Minister added that Grand Bahama is home to some of the world's best beaches, and has ideal conditions for boating, fishing, diving and a host of authentically Bahamian experiences.

"This boost in airlift to Grand Bahama Island will certainly play a key role in stimulating the island's stopover market. We are pleased to establish this new relationship with Spirit Airlines and the potential for additional non-stop service to Grand Bahama Island from Spirit-originating markets is certainly noteworthy. We look forward to a lasting impact on our tourism industry."

Spirit Airlines' Chief Marketing Officer Barry Biffle said that the company was very pleased to offer the low-fare service to "one of the world's most beautiful destinations.

"We're looking forward to taking travellers to enjoy Grand Bahama and likewise, Spirit is providing an excellent fare option to Bahamians to travel and enjoy the amenities of South Florida or any of our other destinations," he said.

Terrance Roberts, director of business development at the Grand Bahama Ministry of Tourism office, expressed his excitement about the new service and what it may mean for the island's economy.

"We're really very excited about today's announcement because it means that we will begin to really see an increase in the number of arrivals in the Grand Bahama tourism economy and we know that Spirit has a great reputation for developing new business and so we're very excited about this opportunity," he said.

When asked about how this new service would help in terms of the fallout that may have been experienced with Air Tran Airways' discontinuation of its flights, Roberts said,

"We actually have a gain in the number of seats available because AirTran uses 717 117- seater Boeing, and Spirit is using a different craft, I think, a 144-seater, so we will be expecting more arrivals on Spirit."

In addition to nonstop flights, Spirit Airlines will also offer connecting service to Grand Bahama from its domestic network. Grand Bahama is Spirit's 21st destination in The Bahamas, Caribbean and Latin American region and its 37th destination overall.

Deputy Director of Tourism David Johnson had confirmed last week that, effective September 2, AirTran Airways will no longer be operating daily non-stop flights to Grand Bahama. The airline had been operating daily non-stop service to Grand Bahama Island since November, 2000.

Johnson noted then that the arrival of a new carrier, which operates larger jets and offers lower fares to the island, would soon be announced.