Daraine Luton, Sunday Gleaner Reporter

Assamba - File

TOURISM MINISTER Aloun Assamba has rejected claims from industry interests that the new Caribbean Community (CARICOM) visa requirement for some visitors to Cricket World Cup in the region will have an adverse affect on Jamaica's tourism industry.

Ms. Assamba, on returning from a meeting of CARICOM ministers, told journalists at a press briefing at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Friday, that only a mere five per cent of Jamaica's tourism market is being affected by the visa requirement.

"Ninety-five per cent of the visitors who come to the Caribbean come from countries which do not require a visa to come into the single domestic space.

"We recognise that this is an important five per cent for us because it is an important relationship that we have been trying to build," she said of the small market made up mainly of Middle Eastern and European countries.

Tourism Ministry officials have said that this five per cent translates to between 7,000 and 10,000 persons, which in money terms works out to about US$10,000 (JA$670,000).

Access

In November, CARICOM an-nounced a new visa requirement for all visitors coming to the islands during the cricket tournament in March and April. While Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Ireland, South Africa, Spain, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States are exempt, cricketing countries like Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and India are required to have the visa to access the Caribbean's single domestic space.

The minister noted that CARICOM has moved to provide access to visas for the Australians and New Zealanders by setting up an office in Sydney, Australia. The visa processing time has been cut from two weeks to four days, while the region's governments have decided to waive the visa fees for children under the age 12.

Meanwhile, Caribbean nationals who travel on the passports of countries requiring a visa to enter the single domestic space will be required to apply for a visa. This means that if a person who is born in Jamaica but now lives in Australia and is travelling on an Australian passport plans to travel to the region, he must apply for the special CARICOM visa.

"If you are travelling on a passport from a country that requires a visa, you have to get a visa. How are we going to know the person is Jamaican-born?" Minister Assamba said.

When CARICOM released the list of countries that would require visas to enter the Caribbean, cricketing power Australia claimed victimisation. However, as Gilbert Scott, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security explained, it was necessary for some screening to be done.

"Those countries exempted were exempted on the basis of a traditional relationship where we have had a relationship that satisfied us that the security arrangements would not be jeopardised for strategic or economic considerations," Mr. Scott said.

Ensuring Safety

Making reference to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when an explosion killed a woman at one of the venues, the Tourism Minister said it is important for the region to ensure its own safety.

"Events such as this cause people to come into the region not necessarily to watch cricket. We have a responsibility as a region to protect our region and to protect the visitors we are inviting," Minister Assamba said.

The Cricket World Cup, the third-largest sporting event after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, is to be held for the first time in the West Indies from March 5-April 28.

Jamaica is spending more than US$100 million to build and upgrade stadia and to put plans in place for the hosting of the opening ceremony, preliminary-round games and a semi-final. The opening ceremony, which will take place at the Trelawny Multi-purpose sports Centre, will be held on March 11.