Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace says the refusal of U.S. authorities to extend an approaching passport deadline could be catastrophic and he likened the situation to a category six hurricane hitting the region.
Caribbean tourism and travel officials continue to cling to their declarations that the decision by the United States Congress to extend the deadline for the use of passports by cruise travelers from the Caribbean region, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda to June 1, 2009 and maintain the originally implementation date for air traffic is an unfair advantage in the cruise industryﾒs favour.
Air travelers entering or reentering the U.S. from these regions must present a passport as of January 8, 2007, Congress determined.
"Needless to say, the affected Caribbean nations are extremely disappointed with this outcome because the potential economic impact on their business could be catastrophic," said Mr. Vanderpool Wallace, the former Bahamas director general of Tourism.
"We understand that some of those affected destinations will be making their own statements and taking some specific action on this matter."
He called it incomprehensible that the United States Government would approve an amendment that in essence grants an additional advantage to cruise lines in the Caribbean who already enjoy a significant competitive advantage.
Representatives of the cruise sector were also in support of an extension for air travelers as well.
"We know that all of the affected governments made their own representation through several diplomatic channels as recently as last Wednesday prior to the final vote of this Bill," Mr. Vanderpool Wallace said. "Because of the potential far ranging effect of this action, there is nothing potentially more devastating. This is a category six hurricane."
In an attempt to cushion what some had expected to be some fallout from the strengthening of border protection mechanisms in the U.S., inclusive of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, some Caribbean hotels and U.S. based travel agencies offered to pick up the tab for securing passports for their clients for a limited time.
Elsewhere hotels, resorts and tourism officials went full steam ahead on public education campaigns, placing notices in strategic places for tourists.
Earle Bethell, president of the Bahamas Hotel Association, yesterday expressed his disappointment in the decision of the US Congress.
"We have communicated to US Government officials all along our support for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and our concern that all sectors and nations be on the same playing field by sharing one implementation date," he said.
"This action demonstrates an incredible insensitivity to our economies and the supporting information which has been shared with officials demonstrating the potential impact. The cruise industry already enjoys a huge competitive advantage over the hotel sector, not incurring the same costs of operations and taxation levels that we do."
He maintained that not enough has been done to sensitize the US public about the passport requirement. It is an argument similar to those made by Mexico, Canada and the cruise industry.
In a recent letter to the US State Departmentﾒs Office of Homeland Security, Mr. Bethell pointed to the efforts which have been made by The Bahamas to sensitize travelers, adding that what the public and private sectors in The Bahamas have done needs to be part of a much broader comprehensive effort with the US Government and travel industry partners to prepare the public.
"We will be expressing our deep disappointment through the appropriate channels. Meanwhile, as we have been doing all year, we urge members to use every possible venue to communicate the implementation date to travelers" adds Bethell.
By: Tameka Lundy, The Bahama Journal
