Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Jamaica is to spend US$75,000 (J$4.5 million) on the next stage of promotional activities geared at sensitising travellers on the new Western Hemis-phere Travel Initiative, which takes effect on January 7, 2007.

As of that date, all air travellers within the Western Hemisphere will be required to hold a valid passport when returning to the United States from the Caribbean.

Three major areas in the United States will be targeted - the Union Station in Washington, DC, Penn Station, New York, and Union Station, Chicago.

More than half-a-million people use New York's Penn Station daily, Interim Director of Tourism, Donnie Dawson told The Gleaner.

He said that as of October 26, Jamaica will hold Blue Mountain Coffee parties in each station and will have the United States Postal Service on hand to process passport applicants.

Satellite news TV alerts

"We will use satellite news TV to alert people to come to the stations that day with their documents," Dawson said.

A second initiative, to be undertaken by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), the marketing arm of the Ministry of Tourism, is a 'Passport to Jamaica Credit Voucher' in collaboration with the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association.

The credit voucher carries the same value as the cost of a passport (US$97 for an adult) and US$85 for a child.

New passport holders who make Jamaica their first destination will automatically receive credit on arrival at the participating hotel.

Mr. Dawson was tightlipped about the third phase of the promotion, which he said would be surprisingly exciting to the persons being targeted.

In the last year, the JTB, along with the Caribbean Hotel Associa-tion, Caribbean Tourism Organisa-tion and the cruise lines, has been lobbying the United States Government to get an extension on the proposed date.

Jamaica's activities coincide with the efforts of the rest of the region. In Exuma, one of the 700 islands in The Bahamas, an offer has been made to procure passports for all Americans traveling there.

As early as June 2005, an extensive Tourism Satellite Accounting report released by the World Travel and Tourism Council revealed the alarming and disastrous effect the Western Hemisphere Travel Initia-tive could have on the Caribbean. Up to 188,000 jobs could be lost, the majority in Jamaica and the Bahamas.