World Travel & Tourism Council president David Scowsill has called on the UK government to abolish Air Passenger Duty to prevent it harm to the Caribbean economy.

Speaking at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation hosted State of the Industry Conference in St Martin, Scowsill argued APD was also detrimental to the Caribbean community living in the UK.

APD distorts the tourism market and damages the economic prosperity of the Caribbean which is the most tourism dependent region in the world, argued Scowsill.

According to a report by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, arrivals from the UK to the Caribbean are already declining while those from other source markets are increasing.

In November 2010, it was estimated that the average decline in UK arrivals to the Caribbean would be in the region of 15 per cent once the full impact of the latest rise in APD has taken effect.

During the first half of 2011, the impact was even greater at 20 per cent on 2008 passenger levels.

With the adoption of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme from 2012, it is time for the UK Government to recognise that APD is a tax whose time has come - and gone.

It must be phased out now or at least redesigned.

“APD has always been a blunt instrument and a bad tax.

“The distance-based system is discriminatory to the Caribbean and the Caribbean people living in the UK. The Caribbean is closer to the UK than the US West Coast yet it is in a higher band,” said Scowsill.

The UK Government is choking the growth of travel in the form of APD.

APD is cited numerously as the reason for the withdrawal of marginal air routes, and the losses or failure of travel companies. More importantly, it is dampening demand for travel out of the UK, as many British consumers just cannot afford the extra amount levied on the price of each ticket.

This taxation costs the industry £2.5 billion each year and threatens the UK’s international competitiveness status as a tourism destination. Others in Continental Europe have already started to offer packages from other European cities. It is bad for UK GDP and bad for the consumer.

“The UK should learn from their neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands who repealed a $412 million departure tax because it cost the economy $1.6 billion. The Irish also plan to cancel their $165 million travel tax because it costs them $594 million and 3,000 jobs,” added Scowsill.

UK Government claims that the system is designed to offset aviation’s environmental impact and reduce emissions, but there is no evidence that money raised is used to offset any such impact.

UK treasury is currently evaluating tinkering with current APD scheme to spread the pain, without reducing its overall income stream.

“Despite economic growth facing many challenges, the travel and tourism industry is still expected to be one of the world’s fastest growing sectors.

“But it must have clear support from governments, if its full potential to create jobs, increase exports and stimulate investment is to be realised,” concluded Scowsill.

World Travel Awards

Next month, World Travel Awards will host its annual Caribbean & The Americans Gala Ceremony at Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort & Private Island in Jamaica.

The event is set to attract the top decision-makers and thought-leaders from across the Americas and Caribbean as they compete for the most influential accolades in travel.

Air Passenger Duty is sure to be hot topic of discussion, with chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne expected to confirm a double-inflation rise in APD next year in his autumn statement on November 29th.