Caribbean Hotels Launch Battle against U.K. Air Tax Hike

The Advocacy Committee of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is spearheading a drive to intensify Caribbean lobbying in the United Kingdom to avert the planned increases in the U.K. Air Passenger Duty.

“Of urgent importance is the proposed increases contained in the UK Finance Bill before the UK parliament on air passenger duty starting on November 2009 where Caribbean bound passengers will pay a minimum of 50 Pounds Sterling per passenger for economy travel and double for any higher class of travel,” said Enrique De Marchena Kaluche, president of CHTA. “Worst, these fees will increase in November
2010,” he said.

“Pending changes to the U.K. Air Passenger Duty are expected to result in increased levels of duties applied to air tickets from the UK to all destinations. Of particular concern to us in the Caribbean are the high levels of duty to be applied to tickets to the Caribbean as well as the discrimination against the Caribbean region by illogically
allocating it to a higher tax band than major competing destinations,” he pointed out.

Caribbean hoteliers, local hotel association executives and tourist office officials have begun lobbying Ministers of Tourism, Ministers of Aviation and even Prime Ministers to call for greater public debate; to share their concerns with the Ministers responsible; and to encourage governments to do more to lobby in the United Kingdom with Ministers and parliamentarians the Diaspora, airlines, tour operators and other interested parties.

At the same time, the hotel association executives from across the region are applauding the Dutch government’s recent decision to rescind a similar air tax instituted this year, noting that the impact of the tax was counterproductive.

“I urge a common effort by CTO, CHTA and UK-based tour wholesalers to come together in an effort to reverse this policy that constitutes a detriment for UK travel to the Caribbean,” De Marchena Kaluche concluded.