The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Friday said it regrets the recent United States reversal of its travel policies on Cuba and the likely effects on the socio-economic development of Cuba and the wider Caribbean region.
In a statement, the CHTA said that it would continue to support the ending of the US-Cuba embargo and its restrictions on trade and travel, and encourage Cuba’s active engagement in regional economic development.
CHTA said that the announced policy changes could stall or altogether reverse the heartening progress made in recent years.
In an overhaul of one of his predecessor’s signature legacies, President Donald Trump last Friday issued new guidelines on the US policy toward Cuba, tightening travel restrictions for Americans that were loosened under President Barack Obama and banning US business transactions with Cuba’s vast military conglomerate.
Caribbean American legislators have described as “misguided” Trump’s new policy on Cuba.
The CHTA warned that if restrictions are indeed re-imposed on Cuba, it expects adverse effects for US businesses, not only for import-export companies, but also for the US-based travel-related businesses that have made considerable investments in Cuba since normalisation began.
“Even before full normalisation, Cuba’s hospitality industry’s growth outpaced the rest of the region and most of the world. Major global hotel chains from outside the United States have been investing in Cuba and today they manage tens of thousands of rooms. As latecomers, US firms are already at a competitive disadvantage in Cuba. They risk becoming marginal players in the travel industry’s growth in Cuba and throughout the region,” the Caribbean hoteliers said.
It said it is urging Washington and Havana “to accelerate cooperation and collaboration between their governments, based on their mutual acknowledgment that the growth of travel and trade presents the greatest opportunity for breaking the long-standing social, political and economic barriers that have historically divided the two countries.
“CHTA urges that any new regulations continue to encourage small and medium enterprise opportunities, both Cuban and US-sourced. It also urges Cuban authorities to accelerate adjusting their investment and business licensing regulations to foster the local enterprises so crucial for a growing travel industry.”
The CHTA said that a vibrant travel industry both in Cuba and throughout the Caribbean basin benefits both the region and the United States, helping to ensure the security of the United States’ “Third Border” while stimulating employment, entrepreneurial activity, trade and government revenues in the region.
Source-CMC
