Janet Silvera, Senior Tourism Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Another attempt will be made to have the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) extended as the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) leads a regional team to a "tentative" field-hearing with the United States Congress in upstate New York next month.

The WHTI is a new law requiring airline passengers traveling between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda to present a valid passport when re-entering the United States. Cruise ship passengers were given a one-year exemption until January 2008. The CTO is hoping to have the initiative extended another 12 - 24 months.

The meeting resulted from the efforts of Bahamas' Tourism Minister, Obie Wilcombe and recently elected Democratic Congressman, Bennie Thompson, the committee chairman on Homeland Security to have the visa regime pushed back.

Congressman Thompson two weeks ago obtained a 30-day waiver on the WHTI, which took effect January 23.

Since the Congressman's intervention U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have continued to allow Americans to re-enter the country by showing government-issued photo identification, such as a driver's licence or a birth certificate. This grace period will continue for about another month.

The Congressman has since convened a meeting at his Washington, D.C. office with Minister Wilcombe and other officials, where he expressed concerns that there was no "real feedback" from the Caribbean at the earliest stages. He noted that the cruise industry and Canada made intensive representations.

The Gleaner understands that the cruise lines spent more than US$2 million to have lobbyists represent their cause in Washington.

Congressman Thompson in the meantime is urging the region's governments to formulate a working group to intensify the pressure on Congress.

He also promised that prior to a Homeland Security committee meeting last Tuesday, he would have sought a meeting with Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff to obtain a period of flexibility for the minimum 90 -120 day peak tourism period.

These latest developments have vindicated Minister Wilcombe who came under heavy criticism last week when his credibility was scrutinised for circulating word of the 30-day easement in the media.

He was chastised by the U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas, John Rood who wrote to Bahamian newspaper editors emphasising that the WHTI was "in full effect" despite what he described as misleading reports that there was a 30-day easement.