apd

UK to Reduce APD on Caribbean Flights

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Where to Go Right Now in The Bahamas, From Nassau to Tiny, Under-the-Radar Islands

 bahamas exuma

The Bahamas is open for business after Hurricane Melissa — and the islands have never been better. From Nassau to San Salvador, flights are running, resorts are open, and the sea is that impossible shade of turquoise that never stops changing color. Travelers are finding the country at its most balanced moment: lively but uncrowded, […]

apd

Grenada Tourism Minister: British APD "Keeping Families Apart"

Above: Grenada By the Caribbean Journal staff The Air Passenger Duty on flights originating in the United Kingdom continues to rise, despite significant opposition from the Caribbean region and the UK tourism industry. Following the announcement by British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne that the APD would increase again, Grenada Tourism Minister Alexandra Otway-Noel […]

apd

Barbados Considers APD Vouchers

Above: Barbados By the Caribbean Journal staff Barbados is considering offering a credit voucher against the cost of the British Air Passenger Duty, according to Tourism Minister Richard Sealy. The credit voucher would apply to British tourists who book a stay of at least two weeks, according to Sealy. The plan to introduce the voucher […]

apd

Caribbean Diplomats in London Gear Up to Lobby Against British APD

Above: Parliament in London By the Caribbean Journal staff The Caribbean’s High Commissioners in the United Kingdom are readying a push to lobby against the British Air Passenger Duty, armed with about $63,000 in funding for a public awareness campaign. The funds were sourced from a UK-based Jamaican Building Society, according to Barbados Tourism Minister […]

Barbados Considers APD Vouchers

 Above: London By Alexander Britell It’s a humid July day in London and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, joined by top Caribbean sprinters, heads to the track ahead of the start of the London 2012 Anniversary Games. Bolt is wearing a bright t-shirt over his Jamaica uniform — one that includes the letters APD, with a line […]

CHTA, CTO Urge End to British APD Following PricewaterhouseCoopers Report

Above: a British Airways flight By Alexander Britell Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association President Richard Doumeng and Caribbean Tourism Organization Chairman Beverly NIcholson-Doty are calling for an end to the British Air Passenger Duty following the release of a study finding that its abolition would significantly improve the UK’s economy. The study by PricewaterhouseCoopers found […]

UNWTO's Vogeler: British APD "Needs to Be Addressed"

Above: a British Airways flight By Alexander Britell PORT OF SPAIN — The United Kingdom’s Air Passenger Duty, a tax levied on flights originating in the country, “creates an obstacle to job creation and economic growth” in many destinations, including the Caribbean, according to Carlos Vogeler, the regional director for the Americas at the UN’s […]

Virgin Holidays "Cautiously Optimistic" on Caribbean in 2013

 Above: Antigua (CJ Photo) By Alexander Britell PARADISE ISLAND — Virgin Holidays is cautiously optimistic for the Caribbean market in 2013, according to John Taker, the company’s purchasing director. Virgin saw 2 percent growth in the Caribbean in 2012. For 2013, however, the company is currently up 20 percent overall above 2012 after launching its […]

Caribbean Tourism Organization Names New Aviation Committee

Above: a British Airways plane (Photo: British Airways) By the Caribbean Journal staff The Caribbean Tourism Organization has announced what it is calling a “highly-focused” CTO Aviation Committee aimed at facilitating air transportation into and throughout the Caribbean region. The move was first hinted at by incoming CTO Chairman Beverly Nicholson-Doty at the CTO’s State […]

Barbados Vows to Continue Lobby against British Air Passenger Duty

 By the Caribbean Journal staff Barbados will continue to lobby against the existing Air Passenger Duty band system, Tourism Minister Richard Sealy said yesterday. The APD is charged at rates that vary according to the distance traveled from Britain. “I was encouraged, at the very least, that we would see something done about the bands,” […]

Virgin Atlantic Will Absorb Cost of British Air Passenger Duty

Above: a Virgin plane By the Caribbean Journal staff Virgin Atlantic has made the decision not to pass on what it calls an “unfair retrospective” increase to passengers in the form of Britain’s Air Passenger Duty, according to a letter by CEO Steve Ridgway. The airline will instead pay the surplus on its own. In […]