CARIBBEAN: Region Must Work Together

REGION MUST WORK TOGETHER
Web Posted - Fri Oct 03 2003

The Caribbean must unite to play a leading role in creating the tourism 
agenda according to Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation 
(CTO), Jean Holder. 
He noted that there is strength in unity and has encouraged the region to 
work together in shaping a Caribbean tourism position. 

In his address at the opening of a two-day tourism workshop yesterday, he 
urged: “We must seek to get the region working together, beginning with the 
Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and pacific States(CARIFORUM) group as 
a core unit, in shaping a Caribbean tourism position and then work to extend 
the influence of the group.” 

The region is engaged simultaneously in several regional, hemispheric and 
global trade negotiations in which the stakes are high, Holder said. 

“We are speaking of our economic survival as we engage in the issues of the 
Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), the Free Trade Area of the Americas 
(FTAA), the African Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union 
(ACP-EU), CARICOM-CANADA, and The World Trade Organisation (WTO),” he noted. 

According to the CTO official, unity is one important lesson which the 
Caribbean must draw from the recent breakdown of the World Trade Organisation 
(WTO) negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, as he remarked how the G21 plus group 
demonstrated. Holder maintained that after 100 years experience in the 
tourism industry, Caribbean people knew as much about tourism as most of the 
rest of the world. 

“There is no reason therefore, why, although our countries are small, we 
should not seek to give leadership to the rest of the world with respect to 
the global tourism negotiations,” he argued. 

The Secretary General explained to participants at the workshop on 
Multilateral and Regional Trade Issues for Public Sector Tourism stakeholders 
in CTO member states that they could begin by proposing how tourism should be 
defined. 

“In other words, what the term ‘Tourism Services’ for the purpose of the 
negotiations, should include,” Holder said. 

He remarked: “It is generally agreed that the current definition under the 
GATS (General Agreement in Trade and Services) which limits the definition to 
hotels and restaurants, travel agencies and tour operator services, tourist 
guide services and other, is totally inadequate and unacceptable, especially 
as it includes aspects of air transportation and cruise shipping activities 
which in our opinion, should be addressed within the ambit of tourism 
services”. 

According to the CTO official, it was his understanding that with respect to 
the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement, which was still in 
draft form, with almost all of its articles yet to be agreed, tourism was 
mentioned only twice, in footnotes. 

“This cannot be allowed to pass,” the CTO Secretary General maintained,“We 
have an opportunity therefore, with respect to the FTAA and other 
negotiations still under consideration, to fight to get an appropriate 
definition of tourism and, in general, to insert tourism language which 
consults our best interests.” 

He said,“I must state that I have a great deal of skepticism about there ever 
being a sufficiently long period during which some of our Caribbean countries 
will be able to completely open their markets to major developed countries 
without being completely obliterated.” 

The workshop which ends today is being conducted at the CTO headquarters, 
Collymore Rock, St. Michael. 


SOURCE: Barbados Advocate