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