Visas for Cricket World Cup
published: Friday | August 12, 2005

THE EDITOR, Sir:

THERE HAS been a lot of planning to ensure that the Cricket World Cup in 2007 is the best ever, but I think there is one critical area that is not being addressed. The issue of visa requirements for some visitors.

India is the largest cricket playing nation. It also has a large and growing middle class who, it is conceivable, can and will attend the World Cup. Most CARICOM countries with the exception of St. Kitts Nevis, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines require Indian citizens to have a visas before they are allowed to enter. These visas have to be issued before they travel. The problem arises because there are no visa offices for other Caribbean islands in several of the territories that will be hosting matches, as there are no visa requirements for CARICOM citizens travelling in the region. In some instances passports have to be sent to consulates in New York or the island itself for visas to be issued.

It is possible that come 2007 we may have thousands of Indians showing up in one territory and then having significant problems flying to another because of visa rules. This could put a serious damper on the expected tourism boon that we are expecting and ruin the image of this World Cup as the best ever. It could also leave a very bad image of the West Indies in the minds of a group that in the future could be a very important market for our main product, tourism.

I am, etc.,

RICARDO SMALLING

rsmalling@sympatico.ca