Peter Odle, president of the Caribbean Hotel Association, will lead delegation of hoteliers meeting with Spaniards. - File

Caribbean hoteliers and tourism officials head to Spain this week for discussions with potential Spanish investors, in hopes of drawing more business to the region and airing global issues impacting world hospitality.

The talks, scheduled for September 14 at Palma de Mallorca in Spain's Balearic Islands, will include Caribbean Tourism Organisation chairman Allan Chastanet and Caribbean Hotel Association president, Peter Odle.

Spanish hotel chains are entrenched in regional countries like Jamaica, Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, Aruba, Cuba, and further afield, Mexico.

The meeting will be with senior executives with operations in the region.

Collaborative effort

The Barbados-based CHA, whose membership covers some 849 hotels, said the discussions would centre on issues like global competitiveness, Spanish invest-ment, the United Status passport requirement, and global warming.

"We expect this to be the first step in a long-term collaborative effort that can be equally beneficial for the indigenous Caribbean tourism industry, foreign hotel interests, and ultimately, the Caribbean people," said the CHA president.

No mention was made of the competition that the so-called 'Spanish invasion' presents to hoteliers in the region, but the big chains, who build cheap and sell rooms at low rates, have been accused of undercutting smaller players who depended on the low end market to survive.

Environmental concerns

Environmentalists are also concerned that some of the investors are not as respectful of the environment as the laws require.

The CHA said 30 of Spain's most powerful hotel investors have confirmed their attendance at the Palma de Mallorca meeting, including Gabriel Escarrer, president of Sol Meliá, Miguel Fluxá, president of Grupo Iberostar; Abel Matutes, president of the Fiesta Hotel Group; Simón Pedro Barceló, co-chairman of Barceló Enterprises; and Pablo Piñero, president of Grupo Piñero.

Iberostar and Pinero are among the Spanish investors with properties in operation and/or under construction in Jamaica.

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