JHTA to Fight Back Jamaican Government’s Plan to Raise Tourism Fee

JHTA to Fight Back Jamaican Government’s Plan to Raise Tourism Fee
By Damion Mitchell

The Jamaica Hotel and Tourism Association (JHTA), has signaled that it will be engaging its international partners to resist any attempt by the Government to increase the tourism enhancement fee.

Daryl Vaz, the minister with responsibility for information told reporters yesterday that Cabinet has given approval for the fee to be increased from $10 for each airline passenger to $20. However, the JHTA president Wayne Cummings, said that the increase would be excessive and will affect travel to the Jamaica.

The JHTA has been fighting the issue of an increase in the tourism enhancement fee ever since the board of the Tourism Enhancement Fund mooted the idea last year. Under the Tourism Fund Act, the current US$10 fee from each airline passenger is to be used to enhance the tourist industry.

After months of opposition to an increase, only last week the JHTA softened its position saying it would accept a US$5 increase in the tourism enhancement fee. However, the JHTA president Wayne Cummings said that’s as much as the association will tolerate.

According to Cummings, the TEF can be successfully operated if there is proper planning and if the fund used for the purpose it was designed. He said the proposed 100 per cent increase in the tourism enhancement fee sends a wrong signal to the airline market and to consumers.

In fact, Cummings said it is hypocritical for the Government to increase in the tourism enhancement fee only months after it successfully lobbied the United Kingdom against hiking its Air Passenger Duty for travelers to the Caribbean.

He says the Government would increase the income in the Tourism Enhancement Fund if its collects the 2-US dollar fee imposed on cruise passengers. Since the enactment of a law in 2005 for cruise passengers to pay the fee, the Port Authority of Jamaica has not been remitting the funds to the TEF.