Antigua jumps ship on Cruise ship levy

Antigua has broken ranks with the Caribbean again, now refusing to join colleagues in a plan to introduce a levy on cruise tickets to the region. Further, there are reports that Dominica, facing major economic difficulties, may also back out of the Caribbean plan.

According to Minister of Tourism Molwyn Joseph, Antigua will not back other regional destinations in seeking to get cruiselines to institute  a new US$20 levy on cruise tickets sold to passengers visiting the Caribbean. “We have looked at the situation and we are not convinced that the US$20 levy is in the best interest  of Antigua and Barbuda at this time,” Joseph told the BUSINESS AUTHORITY.

Earlier this month Antigua, having previously joined five other Caribbean countries supporting the International Criminal Court, announced it had signed a bilateral agreement with the United States and would not hand  over Americans in its territory for war crimes or crimes  against humanity. As part of efforts to create  a sustainable fund to market the Caribbean brand in global tourism, public sector stakeholders have been proposing the new levy on cruise tickets. The proposal, being driven by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO),  is being considered by regional heads of government.

It is also a proposal which executives of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) strongly oppose. They deem it another tax that  could impact adversely  on their operations. When contacted for comment, CTO Secretary General Jean Holder said he could not comment on the matter at that time. He said he and other CTO executives would meet with regional ministers  of tourism later this week to formally discuss the issue at the 26th CTO Conference in  St Thomas, United States Virgin Islands.