Is Barbados deliberately harming SVG’s tourism?

07.SEPT.07

Editor: Unlike the other mainstream tourist destinations of the Eastern Caribbean, such as St Lucia and Grenada, St Vincent is dependent on Barbados or Puerto Rico as airports through which all our international tourists must pass to reach St Vincent and the Grenadines – At least until the new airport at Argyle in St Vincent is completed, in theory around 2010 or 2011.{{more}}

Whilst there is no problem with Puerto Rico, and for passengers transiting there, Barbados seems to be making it less and less economically viable for passengers to transit Barbados on their way through to St Vincent, and one has to wonder if that is a deliberate policy to dissuade tourists from leaving Barbados and travel on to St Vincent, and the Grenadines.

That the Barbados government has managed to levy special charges for developing an airport that will make them vast sums of money in landing charges, as well as improving their own tourist product, is beyond me; but they have. It could be better understood if those who will benefit most from the improvements were to pay for them – those who, if they feel that the government has got it wrong, can also vote them out at the next election – the people of Barbados. But it’s a certain class of tourist that is also paying – those that plan to fly on to St Vincent because the Barbados airport authority classes their flights as originating in Barbados, and are, therefore, subject to their taxation regime.

Fly from Europe to Grenada, and then on to St Vincent, and, although your flight will most likely go through Barbados, you are exempt from the airport taxes as you are acknowledged as transiting the airport. Do the same with an international flight direct to Barbados and you’re trapped into paying. Illogical but true.

And the taxes are not at a level that can easily be ignored: a visit by family recently had Liat’s basic flight price of US$304.50 increased by an amazing US$206.68 to US$511.18 by Barbados transit taxes. All for spending some three hours in the airport. Thank you, Barbados!

Being something of a cynic, I do believe that governments in general never do anything by accident. Therefore, one can assume that if the additional cost of getting to St Vincent through Barbados possibly would have a detrimental effect on St Vincent’s tourism product, then one can be reasonably sure that that was what was intended in the first place.

They’d say not – but then they would, wouldn’t they?

Vincentian traveller