CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
GIS BARBADOS- A unified strategy to support regional carriers and strengthen Caribbean connectivity was the key outcome of a ministerial panel at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) State of the Tourism Industry Conference, held today at Hilton Barbados Resort.
Tourism ministers and commissioners from Belize, Tobago, Antigua & Barbuda, Turks & Caicos Islands, Grenada, and the U.S. Virgin Islands discussed airlift, ferry services, climate resilience, and sustainable tourism.
However, the dialogue centred largely on the high cost of regional travel and the need for immediate, solution-driven action.
It was noted that taxes, tariffs, and operational expenses drive up airfares, and that measures such as code-sharing and mileage systems could help improve affordability.
Antigua & Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism, Charles Fernandez, stated: “Yes, taxes are an issue, and I know that there are couple of islands that have reduced their taxes.
I think that whatever we do in the Caribbean should be more harmonised…. It is something that our heads need to work together and decide we all [are] going to do it, and then that would be a lot easier.”
Secretary of Tourism, Tobago House of Assembly, Councillor Tashia Burris, agreed, stressing the need to back regional carriers.
“Many of us are paying out of our nose for airlift. That is true…. And if we call ourselves one Caribbean, and we have a number of carriers in the region, whether it be an interCaribbean, a LIAT, whether it be a Caribbean Airlines…I believe that Caribbean governments should take the stance that we are going to support our regional carriers. We need to support regional, and that is the first step that has to be taken.”
Turks & Caicos Minister of Tourism, Zhavargo Jolly, added: “We are the heads of tourism for each of our countries, and when we sit in the room, we have the opportunity to talk around problems, or…to make decisions that solve the problem.
We have the opportunity to speak as a collective…. When you talk to one of us, you speak to all of us, one Caribbean aspect, and that provides leverage.”
The session concluded with a proposal to present Caribbean heads of government with a document outlining solutions to regional travel costs, harmonised tax policies, and stronger carrier collaboration.
qWqw It also called for strategies to promote sustainable tourism practices and for the Caribbean Tourism Organization to lead regional coordination.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
I don’t understand the headline. Aren’t all the regional airlines owned regionally? So we don’t have a choice when we fly around the region. But shouldn’t support be a two way street? The service offered by most of these regional airlines is poor. InterCaribbean is easily the worse I have experienced but when you have a captive market you don’t need to care. LIAT check-in staff are the worse and 2 of planes I have travelled on were old and leaked on the Jamaica route and passengers got wet. These are the issues that our governments should be concerned about.