by CARLOS ATWELL

PLANS to recommend a CARICOM special visa similar to the one introduced for Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 appears to be running into opposition from some regional hoteliers.

In Jamaica, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Horace Peterkin, has been quoted in The Gleaner newspaper as saying the CARICOM visa would have a negative impact on tourism in his country.

"Jamaica has always been talking about diversifying, that we don't put our eggs in one basket. Now the basket that is affected is the same one that requires the CARICOM visa so, rather than encouraging a developing market, the CARICOM visa will have the opposite effect of driving that market to other places that will not have a visa requirement."

However, during a telephone interview yesterday, Barbadian Peter Odle, president of the Caribbean Hotel Association, said he could not give a definitive response as the organisation was waiting for more information.

"There are too many people saying this and that who did not have the facts straight. Nothing has been approved. It now has to go through the proper machinery to see if it is something everybody agrees upon.

"We have a number of concerns but we will be brought into the loop shortly and will make a more definitive statement then," he said.

This special visa was a requirement during CWC in order to visit the Single Domestic Space of the nine host countries – Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago; Dominica, St Kitts, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia and Grenada.

Both the visa and the Single Domestic space came into effect February 1 and ended on Tuesday.

A Press release issued yesterday by CARICOM stated that the Heads of Government had agreed in February to set up a task force to consider future use of the visa, taking into account any changes necessary from the experience of CWC.

This task force will have its first meeting on May 25 in Trinidad and Tobago and has to report to the July 2007 meeting of Heads of Government in Barbados.

"In addition, a paper will also be presented on the issue of how to best establish a rationalised Single Domestic Space to facilitate hassle-free travel within the region on a permanent basis," the release said.

At the Tenth Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations of CARICOM held May 10 to 11 in Belize, its foreign ministers unanimously endorsed the permanent fixture of the visa.