Cayman Islands Minister of Tourism Charles Clifford had some wise words for delegates at the Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference in Miami.
If the Caribbean governments and tourism leaders don’t rally together to get United States passport changes changed, we can all look at shallow coffers.
In fact, the Cayman Islands stands to be the second-most impacted country behind Jamaica.
The new US regulations – as they stand now – require US citizens visiting the Caribbean to be in possession of a valid US passport to re-enter the US, effective 1 January, 2006.
Tourism is the bread and butter of the Cayman Islands.
A study done for the Caribbean Hotel Association shows that US$2..6 billion (yes billion, with a B) of fly-in visitor export earnings and more than 188,000 travel and tourism jobs could be at risk.
That’s a lot of money and a lot of folks. And the above figure doesn’t even include cruise visitors.
The United States needs to put the Caribbean on the same fair playing field as Mexico and Canada where the new passport regulations don’t go into effect until 1 January, 2008 – two years after the start-up date for the Caribbean.
The United States argues that the implementation dates are staggered to make the change smoother.
The whole idea behind the passport changes is a direct result of the action of 9/11 when the terrorists attacked the United States.
Since then the US has implemented many measures to make its borders more secure.
The US has every right in the world to make sure that it remains safe, but leaders there must realize that their decisions can cause significant hardship for several destinations that have grown to rely on a more open movement of visitors.
Security is a major concern for all countries and nations throughout the world.
But government officials everywhere must recognize the economic impact their decisions are likely to make on economies far and wide.
If the date is changed from 1 January, 2006, to 1 January, 2008, visitors to the Caribbean will have more time to make plans and arrangements to get their passports in order.
Most countries are willing to work with the United States to ensure safety and security for all.
But it is incumbent on the US to make their actions fair to all.
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