Janet Silvera, Gleaner WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
PRESIDENT-ELECT of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), Berthia Parle, yesterday urged Caribbean leaders, financial institutions and agencies to "fast-track approvals" and eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic red tape to facilitate the 2007 Cricket World Cup Games.
Mrs. Parle was speaking at the eighth Annual Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC), at the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall, Montego Bay.
She said for the world class event to be a success, assistance must be given to achieving the required room inventory, infrastructural developments and product enhancements to host the event.
"Some of us are not ready for investment, investors are being sent from one department to another, when we could easily take up the phone and call someone who is able to help make the process easier," she said.
Inadequate funding is said to be one of the main challenges hoteliers face in bringing their properties up to the standard required by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Mrs. Parle also criticised some of the islands in the region for what she called "their bureaucracy" when it comes to dealing with investors.
"Along with the scarcity of funds, there are reportedly extraordinary red tape at various institutions," she said.
Simon Suarez, president of CHA, agreed. "They are focused towards new developments and not geared to assisting the existing plants," he said of most financial institutions in the region.
According to him, both new and existing plants are crucially important.
