A delegation of Caribbean Tourism Organization ministers will meet with British government officials and travel industry associations Sept. 6 to 8 in London to lobby once again for an alternative to the U.K.’s Air Passenger Duty.
The tax is more for flights from London to the Caribbean than it is for flights from London to California.
This will be the third attempt by CTO members to persuade British leaders to lower the tax.
The method of basing the tax on distance traveled to the destination’s capital city and class of service went into effect last November, and a significant rate hike is due to take effect Nov. 1.
A passenger flying from the U.K. to the Caribbean in economy class currently pays 50 British pounds. The tax will increase to 75 pounds on Nov. 1.
The U.K. has a four-band system, and Caribbean destinations are in Band C (4001 to 6000 miles). All U.S. destinations are in Band B (2001 to 4000 miles), as it is about 3,600 miles from London to Washington, D.C.
A passenger flying from London to the U.S. in economy class currently pays 45 pounds. In November, the passenger tax will rise to 60 pounds.
The CTO is lobbying for the Caribbean region to be placed into the same band as the U.S. and Bermuda, or for the U.K. to restructure the air passenger duty so that Caribbean visitors are charged less.
"We feel that the size of the delegation going to the U.K. on Sept. 6 underscores the importance that the Caribbean attaches to this issue and the seriousness of our intent to minimize the possible damage that this second set of price increases will bring about," said Hugh Riley, CTO’s secretary general and CEO.
In addition to Riley, ministers of tourism attending the London meeting include John Maginley, Antigua and Barbuda; Richard Sealy, Barbados; Glynis Roberts, Grenada; Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica; Ricky Skerritt, St. Kitts and Nevis; and Allen Chastanet, St. Lucia.
