Caribbean authorities and hoteliers trying to mend differences with cruise lines on levy issue

A fresh attempt is being made by Caribbean governments and hoteliers to iron out differences with cruise lines, which ply the Caribbean route. The Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Obie Wilchcombe, made the disclosure following a meeting of Caribbean tourism ministers in New York last week.

Speaking at a news conference in New York, the Bahamas Tourism Minister told reporters that ministers have endorsed the stablishment of a tripartite committee that has been set up to review the relationship.

He also stressed the importance of a private/public sector relationship to tourism, after a decision was taken to scrap a controversial US$20 levy that did not find favour with the cruise lines.

"We have taken the tax issue off the table but we have not taken off the table discussion on creating a sustainable development fund and we are going to find support from the cruise lines (and) the Caribbean Hotels Association (CHA) because each have agreed to work with us to develop this fund," Wilchcombe said.

For its part, the CTO has launched a global search for a new Secretary General to replace Jean Holder, who is scheduled to go on pre-retirement leave in mid-September.

Holder said the CTO was at "crossroads" and needed to change the way it does business.

"I think that CTO needs a new business model and I believe that as we change leadership we really need to have a blueprint that really seeks afresh to discover what the stakeholders want, how they do business, in this world of online marketing, they have to change the way they do things," he told reporters.