Arrivals from UK up 8%

Barbados has recorded an eight per cent increase in visitor arrivals from the United Kingdom, the island’s largest tourist market.

The increase was recorded between January through to the start of October.

Interim chief executive officer of the Barbados Tourism Management Inc. (BTMI), Petra Roach, has described it as significant, especially within the context of the current economic climate.

While not fully crediting the rebanding of the air passenger duty (APD) for this growth, Roach did, however, express her pleasure that the United Kingdom revisited the tax.

“I think that most countries nowadays have to look at taxation in any way, shape or form that they can and the APD was an unfortunate taxation because of how it was banded.

“I think after advocating constantly for the chancellor to look at it from a very responsible perspective and showing how it had actually impacted not only on visitors, but certainly on the diaspora and their ability to visit their family and friends in their respective home countries, they did take the sensible decision and rebanded it.

“So that it was more fair and equitable, but at the end of the day if the government puts tax onto any aspect of a product or service, it is very rare that they will actually just get rid of it totally, so we are very happy that they have rebanded,” she said. (SDB Media)

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