Caribbean Lobbying For BDA-Style Air Fees
Ministers of Tourism from six Caribbean islands along with the Caribbean Tourism Organization Secretary General, Hugh Riley will be in London from September 6th – 8th for talks on the Air Passenger Duty [APD]. The Ministers will be lobbying for their region to be moved into the same tax band as Bermuda and the USA.
The Caribbean delegation seeks what they say is a fairer alternative to the current APD system, which taxes flights from Britain to the Caribbean more heavily than it does to Bermuda or the USA, based on their distance system. The meetings come just eight weeks before the APD is set to increase from £50 to £75 per person for economy and from £100 to £150 in business and first class for travel to/from the Caribbean islands.
The delegation are meeting with a range of organisations including the Association of British Travel Agents, the Caribbean Council, Caribbean Diaspora representatives, the British Air Transport Association and the British Caribbean All Party Parliamentary Group.
“We feel that the size of the delegation which is coming to the UK on 6 September underscores the importance that the Caribbean attaches to this issue and the seriousness of our intent to minimise the possible damage that this second set of price increases will bring about,” the CEO of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation Hugh Riley said in a statement.
Those visiting London include:
- Minister of Tourism, Barbados,: Richard Sealy
- Minister of Tourism, Jamaica: Edmund Bartlett
- Minister of Tourism & Civil Aviation, Grenada: Glynis Roberts
- Minister of Tourism & Civil Aviation, Saint Lucia: Allen Chastanet
- Minister of Tourism & International Transport, St Kitts and Nevis: Richard Skerritt
- Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation & Culture, Antigua and CTO Chairman: John Maginley
