Tourism leaders in the Caribbean are the latest in the travel industry to call on the British government to scrap Air Passenger Duty. The Caribbean tourist board has said that steep rises are damaging much-needed tourism to the area, which is a key source of income for many Caribbean people.

Speaking at the opening of the Caribbean Tourism Summit and Outlook Seminar here, Taleb Rifai, the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization - a United Nations agency (UNWTO), identified CTO as the best example of a regional body bringing small destinations together for a common purpose.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Mexico and Spain will enhance experiences and information sharing with the goal of increasing tourism between the two countries. The signing of the MOU coincided with the 93rd meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Council (UNWTO) Executive Council.

Despite a 16-19 per cent growth in Grand Bahama’s air arrivals, the minister of tourism said yesterday that the numbers could be much better and acknowledged the “lots of concern” about the performance of its largest resort, the Grand Lucayan.