On that date, American travelers returning at land crossings from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada and Mexico will be required to present passports.
Added to the list of properties that have decided to pick up the tab to cover the passport costs are the Viva Wyndham Resorts, one of which is in operation in Grand Bahama and Club Peace and Plenty in Exuma.
They have joined other local properties and travel agencies in the U.S. who had resorted to the maneuver to try to by-pass any potential fallout.
The Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach in Grand Bahama is offering a passport promotion for its guests to help with the cost of obtaining a passport and further educate consumers regarding appropriate travel preparations to and from the Caribbean.
In its campaign, guests who book a vacation by November 15, 2006 for a stay between Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2007 will receive 15 percent off the 2007 rates at any of the chain’s eight all-inclusive properties in Mexico, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.
As for the popular Club Peace & Plenty on the island of Exuma which has been billed the Riviera of the Caribbean, the resort is offering to pick up the tab for up to four passports per reservation of four nights or longer. But the reservations must be made before the end of this year and honoured by early 2008.
The arrangement, however, will not apply to payments for passport renewals.
“We want to make it possible for everyone to visit the Peace & Plenty in Exuma, The Bahamas and all of the Caribbean islands by offering to pay for the new passports of anyone who don’t already have a passport, but not renewals of any kind,” said Barry Benjamin, vice president of sales and marketing.
What Caribbean based travel and tourism officials have been critical about is the decision to extend the deadline for the passport requirement for cruise visitors under the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to June 1, 2009. Many people have argued that it gives an unfair advantage to the cruise sector and could deal a devastating blow to Caribbean tourism.
“Because of the potential far ranging effect of this action, there is nothing potentially more devastating,” said Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Vincent Vanderpool Wallace upon learning of the decision.
“This is a category six hurricane,” added the former Director General of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.
Additionally, Earle Bethell, president of the Bahamas Hotel Association opined that not enough has been done to sensitize the US public about the passport requirement.
“The cruise industry already enjoys a huge competitive advantage over the hotel sector, not incurring the same costs of operations and taxation levels that we do,” he said.
In total, US $2.6 B in tourism business and 188,300 jobs are at stake. One opinion is that the Caribbean will also be at a disadvantage when it comes to those American citizens who want to travel on impulse because of the time required to obtain a passport.
Already the firm hired by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism to reach a larger share of the African American market has begun educating potential travelers about the impending changes. The alert that was issued urged them to prepare ahead of time to ensure an enjoyable experience.
It added that approximately 72 percent of U.S. citizens currently lack a valid U.S. passport and a significant number of African Americans contribute to that high percentage.
“This is due to the fact that many are used to traveling without a passport,” the notice said. “Therefore, it is important for the African American community to be informed and well prepared for the upcoming requirement.”
By: Tameka Lundy, The Bahama Journal
