Caribbean destinations are courting the support of the multibillion-dollar cruise ship industry in their efforts to force the British government to reform the contentious air passenger duty (APD) that has greatly contributed to a 12 per cent drop in British visitors to the region.
Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Ricky Skerritt – also minister of tourism in St Kitts – told the DAILY NATION that the matter was discussed during the recent Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) conference in Santo Domingo and further discussions were pending.
“The APD is also of interest to the cruise industry. Some of their passengers fly to the region to join ships, especially to Barbados, and it also has an impact on cruise vacations,” said Skerritt.
Along with Skerritt and CTO secretary general Hugh Riley, at least four other Caribbean tourism ministers attended the meeting in Santo Domingo. They included Edmund Bartlett (Jamaica), Allen Chastenet (St Lucia), Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace (Bahamas) and Glynis Roberts (Grenada).
The APD is a tax on airline passengers, instituted last year by the British government to cut carbon emissions and raise revenue. More than one million British visitors come to the Caribbean annually, and Caribbean tourism experts contend that the tax has made travel to the region and vacations much more expensive, while also contributing to a decline in visitors.
It also impacts the cruise industry, as destinations like Barbados boasts a strong fly/cruise programme where thousands of European travellers, mainly British, who use scheduled and charter carriers, fly to the island to join ships on seven and 14-day cruises.
The APD puts the Caribbean in a high band, and in reform proposals to the British government, regional governments have been pushing the case that it is an unfair tax that penalises long-haul Caribbean destinations.
Two weeks ago, at the World Travel Market fair in London, Skerritt and other regional executives continued their lobby for reform of the tax. (BB)
