THE
CARIBBEAN IS REELING from the Western Hemisphere Travel
Initiative, passed by Congress on Sept. 29, which granted a
reprieve to cruise passengers but not to air travelers. The
amendment delays the implementation of the new passport
requirements until June 1, 2009 for land crossings at the Mexico
and Canada borders and for cruise passengers coming to the U.S.
from the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada or Bermuda. Congress remained
silent on the air portion of the WHTI, so the implementation date
of Jan. 8, 2007 remains in place meaning any U.S. citizen entering
or returning by air to the U.S. on or after that date needs a valid
passport. In simplest terms, travelers to the U.S. by land and sea
will need a valid passport by June 2009, 20 months away. Those
traveling by air will need a passport by Jan. 8, 2007, two months
from now.
VINCENT
VANDERPOOL-WALLACE, secretary general of the Caribbean
Tourism Organization, compared the impact of the passport
requirement on air travelers to a Category 6 hurricane. "It is
incomprehensible that the U.S. government would approve an
amendment that excludes air arrivals from the Caribbean and
therefore grant an additional advantage to cruise lines in the
Caribbean, which already enjoy a significant competitive advantage
especially since they also supported the inclusion of air
arrivals," Vanderpool-Wallace said. Peter Odle, president of the
Caribbean Hotel Association, concurred with the CTO's comments and
predicted economic and social upheaval in the region, due to the
"inevitable" shift in travel by U.S. citizens. "Tourism is the
lifeline of the Caribbean, and represents 97% of all direct and
indirect jobs in the region. For the Caribbean, the economic impact
has the potential to be disastrous," Odle said. The CHA maintained
that any postponement of the WHTI implementation should apply
equally to all countries involved as well as to travel by land, air
and sea. "No country or industry should be arbitrarily
disadvantaged to the economic advantage of any other sector," Odle
said.
WITH
PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS ABOUT TO BECOME LAW, several resorts
in the Caribbean are offering packages in which they'll refund
guests for the costs of passport fees (details vary). A sampling is
below. Passport costs are $97 for adults and $82 for children
under 16 years of age for new applications and $67 for renewals.
For passport details, visitwww.travel.state.gov/passport/get/get_840.html
.
" All first-time
passport holders who check in at Ladera Resort in St. Lucia anytime
in 2007 will be reimbursed the $97 passport processing fee. As an
added incentive, first-time passport holders will receive Ladera's
leather passport wallet, a 30-minute jet lag massage at the Ti Kaye
Pose Spa, and a Juanderlust cocktail, so-named for the Spanish
explorer Juan de la Cosa who is credited with discovering St. Lucia
in the early 1500s. The drink, concocted by Ladera's bartender
Peter Joseph, is a mix of gin and Spanish vanilla liquor shaken and
served on the rocks with a splash of Caribbean limes. For details,
visit www.ladera.com.
" Guests traveling
to a SuperClubs resort next year will have the passport renewal or
application costs (up to $97 per person) credited to the price of a
four-night or longer all-inclusive resort stay. The promotion
includes cruise passengers who book pre- and post-trips at a
SuperClubs resort. "Our message to our guests is clear: go out and
get your passports and SuperClubs will pay for it," said John Issa,
executive chairman. "This promotion is designed to ease any sticker
shock that applicants might face, and make this new initiative an
easy transition for new passport holders." For SuperClubs'
information, log on to www.superclubs.com.
" With new passport rules included
in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative about to start Jan. 8,
Club Peace & Plenty on Exuma in the Bahamas will cover the cost
of up to four new passports (two adults and two children) for
guests booking four or more nights by Dec. 31 for travel through
Jan. 2, 2008. Guests must show a receipt for the new passports in
order to receive reimbursement from Peace & Plenty. Refunds
apply only to the cost of the document; shipping and handling
charges will not be covered. Barry Benjamin, vice president of
sales and marketing for the family-owned resort, estimated that
more than 85% of Peace & Plenty's business is from the U.S.
"Many of our repeat guests do not have U.S. passports. We're doing
this reimbursement program for them so they are not caught
unawares," he said. For details, call (800) 525-2210.
PALM
ISLAND in the Grenadines will reopen Nov. 1 after
renovating the public areas, adding two wedding gazebos and
expanding Southern Cross, a guest room formerly known as the Cave
House. A five-night agent fam trip is priced at $149 per night,
including accommodations, air and taxes. Booking deadline is Oct.
24; travel must be completed by Nov. 15. For information, call
(800) 345-0356 or visit www.eliteislandresorts.com.
Caribbean
Editor:
Gay Nagle
Myers
Phone: (201) 902-1591
[email protected]
For promotional
opportunities in the E-letters, contact [email protected].