Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

Locals, passengers and crew members of the cruise ship, 'Freedom of the Seas,' cheer during a sterling performance by internationally-acclaimed artiste, Shaggy, at the Montego Bay Cruise Ship Terminal recently. - File

WESTERN BUREAU:

Chairman of Carnival Cruise Lines, Mickey Harrison, has written to the governments of the Caribbean, requesting an urgent meeting with them and United States authorities in Washington, D.C., according to secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace.

The request follows a move by the U.S. Congress to delay the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) new passport requirements, until June 1, 2009, for cruise passengers travelling to the U.S. from the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada or Bermuda, but still requiring U.S. citizens travelling by air to these regions to have a passport by January 8, 2007.

Unfair advantage

The decision reportedly gives the cruise lines an unfair advantage over land-based operators (hotels) and airlines that fly to the Caribbean.

Speaking with The Gleaner from the Interval International Timeshare Conference in Orlando, Florida, yesterday, Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace said the cruise lines want to compete on a level playing field with their land-based competitors.

However, since the announcement was made on Monday, regional tourism interests have been predicting that the decision will have a devastating impact on the region.

"We do not plan to sit and wait to see what will happen," the CTO secretary general said.

Already the issue has been placed high on the agenda of the Caribbean Hotel Association's (CHA) executive committee meeting which is scheduled for Friday in Miami.

Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace said regional tourism officials have been meeting with senior U.S. officials in the Caribbean who, over the last year, have been pressing the Caribbean's case in Washington, D.C.

He said CTO now plans to intensify its awareness efforts with the hope that the United States authorities will understand how catastrophic the effect will be. "They need to be clear on it."

In 2005, research commissioned by the CHA, which was done by the World Travel and Tourism Council on the economic impact of the U.S.A.'s passport changes to Caribbean travel and tourism, showed that 188,000 jobs would be lost if the law became effective in January 2006.

After considerable lobbying, the region was later given a one-year extension, which expires on January 7, 2007.

The report said that among the nine Caribbean destinations that may be impacted, the biggest effect could be felt in Jamaica, where 80 per cent of U.S. visitors to the island do not use passports.

When the numbers were translated into direct and indirect employment, some 114,000 jobs in Jamaica were said to be on the line.