Director of Economics at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr Justin Ram, has said that intra-regional travel should be made easier for Caribbean citizens so that governments can cash-in on greater cash flows within the region.

Speaking at a recent Private Sector forum, Dr Ram said, “What I’m saying to governments across the Caribbean is reduce taxes on travel and aviation and let’s get more regional travel.”

He highlighted that over the last 10 years, a majority of Caribbean citizens were travelling extra-regionally, particularly to destinations in North America and Europe, while intra-regional travel declined.

He said that the decline in this intra-regional travel was owed to the high taxes and fees associated.

And pleading with governments to make this intra-regional travel easier, the economist said: “You will recoup the revenues because I know when people travel to your country, they will be buying stuff and they will be paying more Value Added tax (VAT).”

Moreover, he said that this increase in intra-regional travel will lead to more jobs being created in the local economies, hence more people will be employed.

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nationals have long complained about the high airfares attached to intra-regional travel. In 2018, at the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Jamaica, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley stressed that unless it becomes possible to move freely within the Caribbean using a CARICOM multi-purpose identification card, the regional integration process was unlikely to flourish.

And she further said that “hassle-free travel” and a “single domestic space for transportation” were needed. On Friday, Dr. Ram affirmed that travelling intra-regionally has also become a hassle because of the security systems instituted.

He recounted that on his way to St. Martin, he travelled from Barbados to St. Lucia and then to Antigua, before arriving at his destination. And at every transit country, he noted that he would have had to go through security.

“We really have to ask our policymakers to reform this… when we enter one Caribbean country, it should be like when you entered the USA– you shouldn’t have to go through security again,” he said, quipping that he doesn’t think people would be able to get harmful devices or substances while in the sky.
To remedy this, he called for the reintroduction of the system that was used when the Cricket World Cup was held in the Caribbean in 2007. Here, the airports’ security systems provided for persons to be checked once.