Also at the meeting with the Hon David Thompson were: David Jessop, executive director of the Caribbean Council; Dr Barry Humphreys, chairman of the British-Caribbean Business Council; George Blundell Pound, acting head of public affairs at the Federation of Tour Operators; and Gilmour Smith, a representative of the Caribbean Diaspora.
They were joined by the High Commissioner for Barbados His Excellency Hugh Anthony Arthur; Petra Roach, vice president marketing & sales for the UK Barbados Tourism Authority; and Graham Boynton, travel editor of The Daily Telegraph.
From November passengers leaving the UK will be charged under a four-band APD system, depending on how far they are travelling.
Band A will cover flights up to 2,000 miles; band B 2,001-4,000 miles; band C 4,001-6,000 miles; and band D 6,001+ miles.
APD in the lowest class of travel will rise by £1 to £11 in band A and by £5 to £45 in band B. Band C will cost £50 and band D £55.
In all other classes of travel, including premium economy, the band A rate will be £22; band B £90; band C £100; and band D £110.
Further rises are planned for November 2010.
Prime Minister Thompson said the move would unfairly penalise visitors to the Caribbean, because the new level of APD was based on the distance from London to the capital city of the destination, rather than the actual miles flown.
This means a passenger flying from London to Bridgetown will pay 25% more than one travelling to Honolulu in Hawaii, which is 3,000 miles further away.
He said a number of initiatives protesting the increases were already underway, including letters from Caribbean Prime Ministers to Gordon Brown and a concerted effort by the Diaspora in the UK to lobby their own MPs.
In addition, it was agreed at yesterday’s meeting that passengers on UK airlines would be given leaflets outlining the disparity of the APD proposals, which they could sign and would then be sent to the Government.
Prime Minister Thompson said the overall objective of his campaign was to stop the second stage of the APD increase, and to have the Caribbean placed in band B alongside the US, rather than band C as currently proposed.
Related news from e-tid.com:
ABTA turns attention to premium economy (14/08/2009)
PSA backs ABTA's APD campaign (22/07/2009)
Virgin steps up APD campaign (16/07/2009)
APD fury of Caribbean specialists (02/07/2009)
Virgin steps up APD campaign (16/07/2009)
APD fury of Caribbean specialists (02/07/2009)
Operators warn APD will hurt Caribbean tourism (23/04/2009)
Action urged on APD (27/03/2009)