Caribbean to continue fight against Air Passenger Duty Senator the Hon Richard Skerritt, chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), warned that the decision would further damage the region's economy, which is particularly dependent on tourism. Due to the way the tax is calculated, by measuring the distance from London to the destination's capital city, those flying to the Caribbean currently contribute more in APD than those flying to California or Hawaii. But despite ongoing protests from Caribbean governments, and months of discussions between representatives from the islands and the Treasury, the British government has refused to yield over the issue. Mr Skerritt said he would continue to fight for APD to be reformed. The CTO claims that APD has been a contributing factor to a decline in the number of British holidaymakers visiting the Caribbean in recent years. It adds that members of the Caribbean community living in Britain have had to reduce their travel to the region, to visit friends and family, by up to a fifth. However, research by Hayes & Jarvis, the tour operator, suggested that APD is having little impact on visitor numbers to the region. It said that bookings to the Caribbean have risen by 37 per cent since last year. Its research is supported by the Post Office, which recently reported an increase in sales of the Barbados dollar (+12 per cent since 2011) and the Trinidad and Tobago dollar (+22 per cent).