Travelling to Miami or New York is often cheaper than flying to neighbouring Caribbean islands, a reality that is costing the region billions in lost economic activity, according to aviation researcher Dr Dennis McCall, who argues that when Caribbean residents travel abroad, “they’re spending their money outside of the region as well.”
Speaking on the latest episode of ECCB Connects, Dr McCall said reducing the cost of regional travel is essential if the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s (ECCB) “Big Push” initiative to double the regional economy over the next decade is to succeed. He said high airfares, aviation taxes and costly cargo rates continue to discourage inter-island travel and suppress trade, preventing businesses and consumers from keeping more of their spending within the Caribbean.
The aviation expert also warned that the region is falling behind in preparing its aviation sector for a more sustainable future, revealing that his research found sustainable aviation development “does not really exist” across most of the English-speaking Caribbean. While islands such as Aruba and Curaçao have made progress through European support, he believes the wider region needs a coordinated strategy, including exploring local resources such as sargassum seaweed as a potential source of sustainable aviation fuel.
Dr McCall said improving regional connectivity extends beyond cheaper flights. He pointed to Saint Kitts and Nevis, where automated immigration kiosks have reduced airport processing times to under 10 minutes, arguing that “this sort of digital integration would help us… not only [with] how we do business with each other in the Caribbean but how exactly do we trade with the rest of the world.” He said integrated border technology, cargo tracking and regional data sharing would significantly improve the Caribbean’s competitiveness.
After more than two decades of discussions on aviation reform, Dr McCall said the region can no longer afford to delay action, noting, “We’ve been talking about this for the past 20 to 25 years… So it’s time that we actually fix it.” Although reducing aviation taxes could temporarily affect government revenues, he maintained the long-term economic gains would far outweigh the short-term sacrifice, adding that “in the long run we’re going to see it doubling our economies.”
