Bath Tourism Plus has teamed up with Bristol Airport and Destination Bristol to promote the West of England to airlines from across the globe at the world’s largest commercial aviation event.
The World Route Development Forum, which starts tomorrow in Chicago and lasts until Tuesday, gives airports and tourism organisations the chance to meet airlines to discuss new route opportunities. 
As well as attending face-to-face meetings with airlines, Bristol and Bath will be represented on the VisitEngland stand in the international exhibition hall, showcasing iconic images of the West of England to 3,000 delegates, including representatives of 300 airlines.
Meetings at last year’s event in Las Vegas were instrumental in securing this summer’s twice-weekly Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) service from Stockholm which brought hundreds of high-spending Swedish visitors to the city. Bath Tourism Plus has attended the Routes Europe event in the past, but Chicago will be the first time the World Heritage City will be represented at the global event.
Bristol Airport aviation director Shaun Browne said: “World Routes is an important date in our calendar because it gives us the opportunity to meet with key decision-makers to make the case for new routes.
“Inbound tourism is a vital part of the passenger mix for airlines, so having the support of Destination Bristol and Bath Tourism Plus helps us to demonstrate the strong tourism offer we have for visitors to the West of England.
“We are confident we will be able to work together to secure new routes which will benefit the region and expect to announce details in the weeks following the Chicago event.”
The number of foreign residents using Bristol Airport has almost trebled in the last decade, with more than a million journeys made by overseas visitors from 82 different countries in 2012.
