Britain’s leading travel group says fewer people are booking holidays to the Caribbean after the government introduced a rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD) last November.
The Co-operative Travel said today that Caribbean sales were down 20 per cent. Trips to the region also were also down by 34 per cent.
Overall, it said a survey of 30 000 holidays showed a 17 per cent year-on-year reduction to destinations between 4,000 and 6,000 miles from London, as APD rose by up to 50 per cent to some places.
“This very worrying trend impacts not only on holidaymakers but the travel industry – both in the UK and abroad,” said Mike Greenacre, The Co-operative Travel’s president and chief executive officer.
Because APD bases its tax bands on the distance from London to a country’s capital city, flying to Hawaii is considerably less than Barbados, even though Hawaii is 3,000 miles further away.
“It is imperative that a successor regime for the APD is found, and one which will be far more congenial to us and one which will enable far more equity,” said Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett during an earlier visit to London.
Bartlett called for stepped-up regional campaign for changes to the APD, stating that the tax regime is unfair and is negatively impacting on visitor arrivals in the region.
“The Caribbean is at a disadvantage in terms of our neighbours, the United States. It is important for us to make sure that the playing field is level to give the Caribbean an equal chance to maintain its (market) share,” he said in a government statement.
Before November 1, each economy class traveller to the Caribbean paid £50 (US$77) in APD, but that tax was increased to £75 (US $115) – the second in as many years. The levy for premium economy, business and first class passengers rose from £100 (US$154) to £150 (US$291). (CMC)
