THE ORGANISERS of ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 received advice that the Government of Jamaica has agreed to waive hotel taxes for all media accredited to the premier cricket tournament taking place in March and April next year.

On hearing the news that Jamaica has joined St. Lucia as one of the Host Venues willing to extend a waiver on hotel taxes for all accredited press, Chris Dehring, managing director and CEO of ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc., expressed his thanks to the governments, who have taken this step in order to help contribute to the delivery of cost-effective, accommodation solutions for the world's press.

Dehring stated that he "would like to take this opportunity to thank the governments of Jamaica and St. Lucia for agreeing to waive hotel taxes on rooms for all accredited media." He was speaking after a media briefing held on Thursday in Trinidad and Tobago.

Outcome of an appeal

This new move from Jamaica is the outcome of an appeal made as far back as March 2006, for CARICOM heads to step in and assist with the room rates being applied across the region during tournament time. The Task Force on Accommodation, chaired by Prime Minister Kenny Anthony of St. Lucia, had succeeded in working with hoteliers on making additional rooms available. However, CWC Inc. had not seen the equivalent progress on the subject of room rates.

"Rooms during Cricket World Cup are already at a premium, but the fact that these two governments have agreed to waive the hotel taxes for this vital constituent group goes a long way towards making accommodation more affordable for the media," Dehring said.

Dehring's concern about room rates was heightened by the fact that increased accommodation costs can impact on the budget of a working media representative and could lead to less exposure for the tournament and the region as a result.

Less international exposure

"If accommodation options are too expensive then it has a knock-on effect on a number of things. The main outcome is that the media will consider spending less time in the region in order to keep costs in line with budgeted amounts. All of which would reduce the positive economic benefits of hosting the tournament, as well as resulting in the Caribbean receiving less international exposure."

With just two out of the nine Host Venues to date having agreed to provide this additional benefit for the media attending CWC 2007, Dehring also indicated that he hoped others would follow suit, commenting that he was "looking forward to other countries in the region following their example."