New Fees Hit Travelers Bound For The US And The Caribbean
Travel News — By Carlo Alcos on September 16, 2010 at 9:48 amThe justification of the new US levy for visitors from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries may be up for debate, but what’s not debatable is that it is now official. As of September 8, VWP countries — including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, and Italy — will have to pay US $14 extra for the privilege of entering the States (here is a full list of VWP countries). The US Senate passed the new fees in an attempt to fix the issue of the declining number of visitors to America. While that may sound counter-productive, they plan on using the money raised for tourism promotional purposes.
As reported at Telegraph.co.uk, John Bruton — the European Commission’s ambassador to Washington — doesn’t think very highly of the plan:
Only in Alice in Wonderland could a penalty be seen as promoting the activity on which it is imposed.
Telegraph Travel’s own online poll showed that 44% of their readers would be put off by the new fee. In addition, UK travelers to the US will see an increase in their Air Passenger Duty (APD) fees this November, from £90 to £120.
In related news, not only are Caribbean tourism officials not happy with the increased APD, but Germany has now implemented a new airline ticket tax that will affect travelers to Caribbean destinations, according to caribbean360.com.
I am certain that other members of the European Union may look to do likewise if we simply sit silent,
said Barbados’ Tourism Minister Richard Sealy. Tickets now purchased for travel from January 1, 2011 and onwards will be hit with increased taxes — €8 for 52 European destinations, €25 for Asian and African destinations, and €45 for all others, including the Caribbean. The new fees are a response to Germany’s €80 billion deficit.
[Image: sjsharktank / Flickr]
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