Cancelled flights hints that board tax is biting

The authorities and their chosen agents might insist that the controversial levy on tickets to English supporters for the forthcoming Test series in the Caribbean is not affecting sales, but the facts indicate otherwise.

It was revealed in today's Barbados-based Nation newspaper that Indigo Holidays, a Surrey-based tour company, has cancelled its Monarch Airways charter flight scheduled to coincide with the Bridgetown Test.

"We made every effort to promote Test match in Barbados, but our cause was not helped by the inflated cost of the match tickets," Indigo Holidays said in a statement. "Since the prices were announced, bookings not only dwindled, but we received a spate of cancellations from those that had booked."

It is reported that just over 100 of the 360 seats on the charter had been sold. Cameron Knight, a representative of Remac Tours, a Barbados-based tour operator, explained that last time England visited, he "ran out of seats" to sell.

What will worry the local community is that the levy could result in far fewer people visiting the Caribbean to watch the series, with resulting serious harm to local hotels and restaurants.

New Century Marketing, the London-based company with exclusive rights to sell tickets to the UK market, once again maintained that sales were brisk.