Abta campaigning for Caribbean flights

Abta is encouraging travellers to do whatever they can to stop the government from making flights to the Caribbean "unaffordable".

Ahead of the Notting Hill Carnival in London this week - an event that will see an influx of visitors from the Caribbean - the travel association urged people to write to their MPs or sign a petition on the Number 10 website to stop the government increasing taxes on long-haul flights.

Abta said that the planned increase in air passenger duty (APD) will have a "dramatic effect" on the cost of flying to the Caribbean.

The EU Emissions Trading Scheme, which UK airlines will be joining in 2012, is a fairer and more efficient way of tackling environmental concerns linked to aviation, according to the travel association.

Mark Tanzer, chief executive of Abta, said: "These APD increases will have a terrible impact on the cost of flying to see family and other loved ones both going to and coming from the Caribbean.

"They will also discourage tourists from visiting the islands with potentially devastating effects on local economies at an already difficult economic time."

Abta recently announced the launch of a new directory allowing consumers to choose from sustainable hotels.

Posted by Paul, 27 August 2009 16:06

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