ONE OF THE most common complaints from tourists and business visitors when traveling to Suriname is the accessibility of the country. Those who did not want to come via Amsterdam-Schiphol found it very difficult to reach Suriname for a long time. In 2021 we all became cheerful when American Airlines was going to fly to Suriname. However, he gave up after a short time. Insufficient demand and most likely the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic were the cause of this. Anyone who wants to go to America from Suriname can not only travel directly to Miami, but also via stopovers in Trinidad and Tobago or Guyana and Panama.
SLM has announced in recent days that it is ceasing its scheduled flight to Barbados. There appeared to be insufficient demand on that route and occupancy was always low, despite an attractive rate. The airline itself is also in deep trouble, because aircraft registered in Suriname have been blacklisted from flying to Europe due to questions about flight safety. To top it all off, SLM also has to deal with issues that undermine its competitive position through no fault of its own.
For example, there are insufficient air traffic controllers available, which forced the company to adjust its flight schedule and a fuel surcharge was added to ticket prices. This is a global measure, because oil prices are rising due to the war in the Middle East.
The most important route that SLM operates – albeit with hired aircraft – is the mid-Atlantic route to Amsterdam. SLM has a huge price advantage over KLM, which has significantly increased ticket prices recently. But due to the poor reliability of SLM, many travelers still choose KLM and pay the higher prices for airline tickets.
And while hotels are being added, energy conferences are being held and we are still on track for the oil boom from 2028, the above facts do not seem to raise any concern. Everyone who talks about oil and gas also keeps saying that other sectors, such as tourism, need to be developed. The management of NV Luchthavenbeheer recently mentioned the aim of handling 1,000,000 passengers per year. Beautiful wishes were expressed on the thirtieth anniversary of this entity, which has been indicating for more than ten years that ‘trunks’ must and will come.
It is not only the international airport in Zanderij that has problems as an official arrival point. South-Drain also has a boat connection that is considered unreliable, and the same applies in Albina: poor facilities and an often defective ferry that is not solved sustainably. It is possible to cross with smaller boats in both Guyana and French Guiana, but there are also safety issues.
With an SLM that has been in need for a long time and with a government that is unable to optimally organize the borders and guarantee flight safety, tourism will unfortunately not grow sufficiently. Even the high-end tourist who is willing to pay for a natural environment such as Suriname offers, must first reach and enter the country.
