APD Tax Decision

St Lucia is an island which has become more dependent upon the Tourism industry over the last two decades. Akasha, St Lucia’s most modern villa rental was built to service high end traveler who want to enjoy luxury while sampling the culture and beauty of the island of St Lucia not to mention its beaches, Pitons and everything else etc.

Not so long ago the UK government decided to introduce a Tax for holiday makers to St Lucia and other Caribbean islands. This was seen by all the island as a deterrent for the Tourism Industry. The island even sent over a representation to protest about it but to no effect.

The Caribbean has thrived on the tourism from the UK, receiving more than a million British visitors last year. So any impact as the result of additional taxes was not good news. Other islands like Barbados were also affected by this decision and as the main island for UK travelers felt the impact more than St Lucia.

Now the UK has decided to go some way to alleviate the tax and hopefully this will help the industry recover after the impact of the credit crunch. The UK government has announced their new budget will place a freeze on APD charges that were previously resulting in higher aviation taxes for travellers to the tropical islands. So airlines such as British Airways and Virgin were forced to increase their prices when consumers were already feeling the effects of the credit crunch and recession.

St Lucia’s most exclusive villa rental welcomes this news as it feels this tax did deter travelers to the Caribbean as there is no equivalent tax to other holiday destinations. Akasha offers you the option to go all inclusive or mix and match – the choice is yours. Luxury, Quality and Service is our aim.