Lower Airport Service Charge in Barbados

Leading off the debate on Tuesday, July 4, in the Lower House (Parliament) on the Airport Service Charge (Amendment) Bill 2023, Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Ian Gooding-Edghill, indicated that the six-month reduction is intended to stimulate CARICOM travel to Barbados.

This reduction will be in place until December 14, 2023.

Minister Gooding-Edghill noted that the cost of inter-regional travel was high and to “stimulate the local market” this measure was being implemented.

“So, we’ve taken that decision. We recognize that the CARICOM market is price sensitive [and] we recognize if we are going to drive traffic to the destination in the absence of having what was LIAT in its former form, then we had to take the necessary steps to make the adjustments….

“We took this step because we felt confident that a reduction in the airport service charge will stimulate travel within the region and also ensure that we get more arrivals from the Caribbean into Barbados,” the Tourism Minister stated.

He also indicated that in addition to the airport service charge reduction measure, the Ministry had been working with regional airlines, such as Air Antilles and interCaribbean, to increase the number of weekly flights to the island.

Mr. Gooding-Edghill said: “I am pleased to say, based on the load factors coming out of both regional carriers, that we are seeing an increase in the number of arrivals from within CARICOM.”

The Airport Service Charge (Amendment) Bill 2023 was passed in the Senate (Upper House), on Wednesday, July 5.

The island of Barbados offers a unique Caribbean experience steeped in rich history and colourful culture, and rooted in remarkable landscapes.

Barbados is the home of two of the three remaining Jacobean Mansions left in the Western hemisphere, as well as fully functional rum distilleries.

In fact, this island is known as the birthplace of rum, commercially producing and bottling the spirit since the 1700s.

Each year, Barbados hosts several world-class events including the annual Barbados Food and Rum Festival; the annual Barbados Reggae Festival; and the annual Crop Over Festival, where celebrities such as Lewis Hamilton and its very own Rihanna are often spotted. Accommodations are wide and varied, ranging from picturesque plantation houses and villas to quaint bed-and-breakfast gems; prestigious international chains; and award-winning five-diamond resorts.

In 2018, Barbados’ accommodation sector captured 13 awards in the Top Hotels Overall, Luxury, All-Inclusive, Small, Best Service, Bargain, and Romance categories of the ‘Traveler’s Choice Awards’. And getting to paradise is a breeze: the Grantley Adam International Airport offers plenty of non-stop and direct services from a growing number of U.S., U.K., Canadian, Caribbean, European, and Latin American gateways, making Barbados the true gateway to the Eastern Caribbean.

Visit Barbados and experience why for two years in a row it won the prestigious Star Winter Sun Destination Award at the ‘Travel Bulletin Star Awards’ in 2017 and 2018.

For more information on travel to Barbados, visit www.visitbarbados.org, follow on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/VisitBarbados, and via Twitter @Barbados.

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