Tour operators say sales are down

The old adage claims that all publicity is good publicity. But that might not be the case as far as the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is concerned. As the furore over ticket prices for next spring's series between West Indies and England rumbles on, some tour operators are claiming that sales have slowed markedly since the Draconian levy on ticket prices was announced.

What has angered tour operators was that the WICB only told them of the levy in October, long after they had begun advertising and selling holiday packages. The companies were further incensed when they were told that only one company - London-based New Century Marketing - would be handling tickets sales.

"The minute the levy was announced, sales dried up and we are now getting cancellations," Don Gooding, a senior consultant at London's Barbados Journeys, told The Nation newspaper. "We are taking cancellations higher than I would have expected."

New Century Marketing have repeatedly claimed that the levy has had no effect on sales, but another agency, the high-profile Kuoni Travel/Sports Abroad, disputed that.

"Our sales have dropped considerably since," Nick Abbott-Charles told The Nation. "Within the last month, we've taken about ten per cent of the bookings we felt we would have got. Things have slowed down. The phones are not ringing and it's worrying." Kuoni was intending to send 700 people to the Caribbean, but so far has sold only 300 packages.

A number of individuals have said that they have decided to eschew the official tour groups following the announcement of the levy and would travel in the hope of picking up tickets from locals - the levy is only being applied to ticket sales abroad. "I'll offer two or three times the face value - which will still be far less than the rip-off prices demanded by the board - and I'll get a ticket, no worries," said one would-be spectator. "The locals touts will make a killing."

The WICB might have stumbled on the price-hike as a good way of bringing in vital cash to help prepare for the 2007 World Cup, but it could be at the cost of damaging the region as a holiday destination. "At the end of the day, tourism is going to suffer," Abbott-Charles said. "This is big business ... [the authorities] are making up in one area but losing out considerably in another." But not everyone is so downbeat. Mack Campbell of Carib World told The Nation newspaper: "We've had some cancellations, but to be honest, we've had more bookings coming in since the prices were announced.

Carib World, who are based in Hertfordshire, will send around 500 spectators from England to the Barbados and Antigua Tests, but Campbell admitted that he was not going to be asking for more tickets. "We're happy with the number of people we're going to be bringing out ... we'll draw the line there and take no further risk on it."