British Airways is once again supporting the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) with Keith Williams, chief executive giving the key note speech at the first State of the Industry Conference, taking place in St Martin between September 14th-17th.

Keith Williams’ speech will follow last year’s address by Willie Walsh at the Leadership Strategy Conference and highlights British Airways’ commitment to the Caribbean, whose economy is very dependent on tourism.

Commenting on his forthcoming visit, Keith Williams said: “Together with our friends and colleagues in the Caribbean, we look forward to reinforcing the region’s position as a luxury leisure destination.

“With such a diverse range of islands, it’s no surprise that these routes continue to be a firm favourite for British and international travellers. British Airways is proud to be flying to more destinations in the Caribbean than any other European airline.”

In addition to the increase in services to several Caribbean destinations, in March 2011 British Airways also launched a service from London to Puerto Rico.

The new flight from Gatwick to San Juan boosted the number of British Airways flights to the Caribbean to 64 a week across 15 destinations.

Hugh Riley, secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, said: “The CTO is delighted to welcome Mr Williams to the region and we are honoured that he has found the time to speak at the conference in what must be a very busy first year for him.

“British Airways has reinforced its position as a truly committed partner in the Caribbean with the introduction of new routes and frequencies this year and we are keen to know how we can support the airline to bring further benefits to our region.

“The conference will look at the current state of the Caribbean tourism industry and how to deal with issues that impact on the sector, with a view to building for the future and of course BA will play a major part in this.”

Keith Williams became British Airways’ chief executive in January 2011, following the airline’s merger with Iberia.

He also sits on the Board of the two airlines’ parent company, International Airlines Group.

As chief financial officer of British Airways over the previous five years, he played a leading part in the airline’s achievement of a record operating margin in 2007, before steering it through the worst recession in its history.