Routes Americas, which brings together decision makers from airlines, airports and destinations to define the region’s air route networks, is heading to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 3-5 March in 2026.
As the 2025 edition of the event drew to a close, the Nassau & Paradise Island Promotion Board in partnership with Nassau Airport Development Company, and The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation, handed over the hosting responsibilities of the event to RIOgaleão Airport, Rio de Janeiro City Hall, Invest Rio, and Visit Rio.
According to a study conducted by the World Travel and Tourism Council, travel and tourism in Brazil is expected to contribute $194.6 billion to the country’s GDP in 2034.
To support this growth, Rio has implemented significant improvements to its transport and tourism infrastructure. RIOgaleão – Rio de Janeiro International Airport – connects the city to more than 50 domestic and international destinations. As Brazil’s second-largest city and the sixth most populous in Latin America, Rio de Janeiro serves as a crucial financial and commercial hub. The city boasts a dynamic and diversified economy, spanning industries such as energy, telecommunications, tourism, and entertainment.
By consistently uniting decision-makers from the region’s air service development community, Routes Americas has made a real impact on the region’s networks – over half of the world’s new air services are connected to meetings at Routes events. VPs and Heads of Network Planning from over 90 carriers are expected to attend Routes Americas in 2026.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Steven Small, director of Routes, said: “This year’s event saw our largest ever airline attendance and exhibition for a Routes Americas. This highlights the significant role that Routes Americas continues to play in defining air connectivity across the Americas region.”
Small added: “Rio has a proven track record of hosting globally significant events, including the Olympics in 2016 and most recently the G20 Leaders’ Summit. Routes Americas will support the city’s objective to attract even more international events, promote tourism and secure investment through the role it will play in driving air connectivity.”
“RIOgaleão has attended Routes events for the past 10 years and we are delighted to finally host Routes Americas 2026 ourselves. It is a unique opportunity to showcase the destination Rio de Janeiro to airline delegates from all over the world. RIOgaleão is the main gateway for tourism to Brazil and offers plenty of growth opportunities for our airline partners”, said Alexandre Monteiro, CEO of RIOgaleão.
“The aviation sector plays a vital role in promoting the destination and strengthening the local economy. Securing Routes Americas reflects our commitment to expanding Rio de Janeiro’s air connectivity and enhancing the business environment for the Visit Rio Convention Bureau. With a more robust air network, we’ll have even greater capacity to attract investments and position Rio on the map for the world’s most important events,” celebrated Carlos Werneck, CEO of Visit Rio…
