Visas disaster
As the commencement of the Cricket World Cup 2006 draws ever nearer we are finding a number of straws blowing in the wind that causes grave concern among Caribbean people.
The problem in the region is of course that once we subject those in authority to criticism, however constructive, there is a very strong tendency for them to take it as a personal affront and to target in response the messenger rather than the message.
It is nonetheless very important that we come to the realization that the CWC2007 is being held in the Caribbean and hence we are all stakeholders.
This columnist wishes to address some of the problem areas that are currently surfacing.
Visas
The long-serving Honorary Consul for Trinidad and Tobago in Australia since 1981, former athlete, Mike Agostini, recently resigned from his post over the matter of the special visas that Caricom has agreed to put in place for visitors coming to the region during the period of the CWC2007.
According to reliable sources, Agostini insisted that all is not well with the arrangements for the visas in shambles. He noted that the matter of the visas which would guarantee visitors to the region hassle-free transfer between countries hosting matches was rushed in no more than months and even then not properly investigated and carefully considered or else reconsidered. Especially when the Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, wrote to all governments involved asking them not to do what they did.
According to Agostini, the handling of the visas was undertaken in a sloppy and still seemingly haphazard manner…in which the implementation of the arduous and lengthy processes of actually issuing these visas occurred, or more so still have failed to get started yet.
The good news is that Agostini suggested that there are about 7000 Australians and 3000 New Zealanders who are keen on coming to the region for the CWC2007 experience. The bad news is that the visa problems are causing such an immense headache at this late stage in the preparatory exercise that it may impact negatively on those willing to come here.
Agostini suggested that only a few travel agencies in his neck of the woods are aware of the website to be used to apply for the special visas hence ordinary travellers may well be much less informed.
An embarrassed Agostini noted that since the visas become mandatory from January 15 onwards things can only get worse, as more and more Aussies and Kiwis discover that they cannot travel to the Caribbean, even if only for a cruise and not cricket, without having such a stamp inserted into their passports. There is already one instance of someone wanting to go on a Caribbean cruise, with no interest whatsoever in the cricket and not even at the time it’ll be on, being told by their travel agent that they will not be able to board the cruise liner without it.
The problem is a difficult one to fathom since Sydney, Australia, hosted the prestigious and far more popular Olympics in 2000 and Melbourne, Australia, recently hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2006 and at no time were there these difficulties.
The problem ought not to have arisen at this late stage.
Anyone who has been involved in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games or the FIFA World Cup would have been able to explain the process to the governments of the region.
The Athens Olympics were the most expensive held thus far because of the security concerns following the September 11 attacks of 2001 and yet they were able to facilitate security checks on the heavy traffic that flowed through the nation of Greece for the Games with relative ease. This was because of the level of advanced planning undertaken and the expertise involved in the organization of the event.
Confusion reigns
Tourism officials in Jamaica appear to be focused intently on the bigger picture – the long term impact on the country’s tourism industry.
The Observer-Reporter for the Jamaica Observer newspaper wrote on Friday 5 January 2006 that The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) is suggesting that Jamaica be pulled from a Caribbean Community (Caricom) decision to require a special visa for visitors coming to the region during the ICC World Cup Cricket tournament beginning March.
The writer noted that Horace Peterkin, president of the umbrella grouping, said the industry would prefer if Caricom abandons the visa requirement, but if it did not, Jamaica should put its national interest first and go it alone.
The Association appears clearly upset at the way things have gone and seems to adopt a stance that may seem harsh but which is nonetheless intended to safeguard what it perceives to be a more reasonable approach in light of the importance of tourism to the nation’s development strategy.
The paper stated, Peterkin accused the regional grouping of sacrificing the Caribbean tourism industry “for 58 days of cricket” and doing so without consulting with the tourism ministers, the tourist boards or the embassies of the region.
“We know that security is the main concern to the ICC and our governments, but protecting a few months of cricket versus losing years of sweat equity, reputation, and confidence of these markets along with the immediate income of the stakeholders (some of whom could go out of business) is a very hard pill to swallow,” Peterkin wrote in a letter to Jamaica’s tourism minister, Aloun Assamba.
Peterkin is clearly upset at the situation and expressed his organisation’s perception of the consequences, “massive and immediate cancellation of all forward bookings” from countries which are now required to get Caricom visas, touching: all USA and Canadian residents, residents of certain European, Central and Eastern European countries, South and Central America and all African and Arab countries.
Additional fallout could also include: loss of airlift to Jamaica from the affected regions and countries; cancellation of future charter operations from the affected regions; widespread bad press internationally; an immediate end to the inclusion of Jamaica in all tour operating programmes in the affected countries, in favour of islands which do not have such regulations, for example, the Dominican Republic; and loss of market share… other possible repercussions like liability lawsuits from tourism companies and airlines which have invested in Jamaican tourism programmes from the affected regions, “for financial losses they will incur”, and from the travelling public; creation of ill-will and lack of confidence with overseas tourism ministries and tour operators and travel agencies in the affected countries, “that will be irreparable“…”We would lose our Winter Season, during which the island enjoys its highest revenues per visitor, and highest occupancy levels, and the far-reaching effects would affect next summer as well.”
The situation is indeed grave and forces us to ponder on who really has been involved in the entire planning exercise relative to the CWC2007. Peterkin declared, “This matter is a grave one which needs to be explained to Jamaica. Caricom has done it again … this time in the name of 58 days of World Cup Cricket … How this could happen is beyond all of us in the industry.“
A meeting was recently convened in Barbados to deal with the visa issue but the Jamaican industry officials seem intent on ensuring that “If Caricom is not able to cancel the ruling, which comes into effect on January 15, 2007 (and lasts until May 31), then Jamaica should break away from the grouping in the interest of protecting its long-term interest.”
In what appears to be a stinging indictment on the way things are going Peterkin is quoted as saying, “I am sorry for the ministers of tour
ism who have been given a basket to carry water on this decision,”… “but we have to act in the best interest of Jamaica.”
Facilities
Barbados has indicated that the Kensington Oval would not be available for use for the Carib Cup regional Tournament which got started last week. Alternative venues have been used instead for the four-day and one-day matches.
The same has occurred in Jamaica where Sabina Park is also not ready. In both cases, the problem is not with the playing surfaces but rather with the attendant facilities that are still not ready.
Clearly, we must be concerned since it would appear that in the region with only a few days left before teams begin to arrive there is a strong sense of last-minutism.
In this region, we procrastinate too frequently without necessarily counting the cost. Failure to deliver a world-class World Cup in all aspects may hurt us much more than we can possibly imagine.
SVG
The recent rains here in St Vincent and the Grenadines did a fair amount of damage to the construction works that are taking place there. The damage seems relatively serious to the casual observer. The lower part of the fence behind the double-decker stand has fallen into the river.
Of concern here is the fact that we know about that river and we ought to have engaged in a more deliberate analysis of the requirements before settling for the actual construction work that was undertaken.
The outfield at Stubbs and Arnos Vale II still seem unacceptable to the naked eye and one wonders what measures could now be taken at this critical stage to facilitate the requisite improvements.
Conclusion
There is every reason for us to believe that in this Caribbean region we do have the requisite expertise to organize and administer a tremendous Cricket World Cup. It, however, seems more than a little unfortunate that in far too many instances we are hearing complaints of the cricket fraternity being too possessive and of having kept the organization too close to its chest without realizing the enormity of what is involved.
In some countries, the cricket fraternity simply assumed that it is in possession of the requisite expertise. They are now recognizing rather late in the game that this is not necessarily the case.
There is a sense in which we are hearing clarion calls being made by all and sundry, not the least of whom are the region’s political leaders, for the Caribbean people to support the World Cup. This is rather late and sounds very much as though we are in crisis mode.
Tickets sales are not what were initially expected at this stage and we are not being told why this is the case.
We love our cricket in the Caribbean but one wonders to what extent we love it enough to do all that is required to stave off embarrassment at a global level.
