Caribbean Reaches Out to European Tour Operators

Caribbean Reaches Out to European Tour Operators About CARICOM Visa Policy

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Jan. 16

Caribbean countries have reached out to European tour operators who have expressed concerns about the process for issuing the CARICOM Special Visa, assuring the tour operators that measures will be implemented to make the process more convenient for their clients.

This promise came from Chair of the CARICOM Sub Committee for Cricket World Cup (CWC) Security the Honourable Mia Mottley, Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados, as she addressed tour operators and other travel officials in a special forum in Aruba on Sunday, January 14, 2007. The occasion was the annual Caribbean Hotel Association trade show, Marketplace.

"We cannot roll back on the visa, but we must deal with the issue of how to make the process more convenient for you. We want to protect your investment. We are sensitive to your problem and we want to find solutions. In fact we will find solutions," the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

"We have heard your calls and we are sensitive to them. We do not want to offend you; we do not want to lose any business. But we have a responsibility to you as tour operators and many of you are in fact investors," she added.

Many tour operators expressed concerns about the process for the issuing of the CARICOM Special Visa, which is required for entry into the Single Domestic Space that was created by 10 Caribbean countries for the hosting of the Cricket World Cup 2007. The Single Domestic Space will be in operation for the period of February 1 to May 15 2007.

"We can empathise in terms of how some people feel about now having to get a visa. But in the context of having to host a global sporting event, we need to deal with what we have, and that is the viability of Caribbean states to maintain themselves as a zone of peace. The ultimate solution has to be national and not simply sectoral," the Deputy Prime Minister stressed.

She also suggested that tour operators use the opportunity for Multi Destination marketing, long talked about as viable for the Caribbean given the diversity of the islands.

ENDS

© Scoop Media