JAMAICA: Regional Tourism Market Big Enough To Accommodate Cuba

TOURISM Minister Edmund Bartlett says that the Jamaican Government believes that the northern Caribbean’s tourism market is big enough to include the newest competitor for United States visitors, Cuba.

Bartlett that, with the northern Caribbean attracting some 80 per cent of the total regional market, there is space for Cuba to join her neighbours, including Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos islands, and Cancun.

“This region has enormous potential for multi-destination tourism, including multiple destinations in a single package,” he said.

Bartlett’s comments came as US President Barack Obama started a three-day visit to Cuba, which is just 90 miles away from Jamaica, but has been an American pariah since the communist revolution that brought the Castro brothers to power in 1959.

The US broke off diplomatic relations after the revolution and imposed a trade embargo. But two years of secret talks between the Cuban government and the current Obama administration led to an announcement in December 2014 that the two countries would restore diplomatic relations. Obama’s visit, accompanied by his family and a delegation of about 1,200 US government and private sector representatives, is seen as the first major step towards renewed co-operation.

However, it has raised some concerns among citizens of other countries in the region, including Jamaica, who feel that US focus on Cuba could affect their economies.

But Bartlett insisted that, despite a 17 per cent jump in tourist visitors to Cuba last year, Jamaica is well positioned to continue its growth as well, and saw no threat to the local industry.

According to Bartlett, Cuba’s tourists are all stopover visitors, unlike Jamaica which benefits from both stopover and cruise visitors.

Reacting to the news yesterday that cruise line, Carnival, and the Marriott hotel chain would also be investing in Cuba, Bartlett said he saw no threat there, either.

“It will expand Cuba’s appeal, but the US is a large market; there are nearly 100 million American travellers annually. Our share is only three per cent, but even if Cuba gets five per cent of that market we would still have another 92 million visitors to aim at,” he stated.

“Our job is not to moan, but to go out there and ensure that we remain the destination of choice. Cuba will be moving up but in the long run, the benefits will extend to the entire region,” he said.

Bartlett also pointed out that Cuba has a slightly different demographic from Jamaica, in terms of visitors, although this is likely to expand with major investments.

“We have the highest repeat business in the Caribbean, because 42 per cent of our visitors are repeats and that is because we are an iconic destination. Our main attraction is our people. Our people are the most hospitable, and we have a very high quality of service. So we have a lot to build on, while countries like Cuba try to catch up with us,” he added.

He said that the new Jamaica Labour Party Administration will seek to improve how the country does its tourism business, in terms of attracting additional investments, “because investment goes where it is invited and stays where it is appreciated”.