Traveling the entire Caribbean on a single visa for tourists would be great. And that’s the idea of Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, who says the implementation of a regional tourist visa regime among CARICOM nations has “huge economic potential.” caribbean visa

That would create the potential for a malt-destination tourism network, Bartlett says. More importantly, it would create a single common airspace, where airlines flying to the Caribbean would pay one fee.

“A regional visa regime is something that we’ve been talking about. I think if we are to build Caribbean tourism, then we must recognize that as individual states, we are too small to grow and to benefit from the recovery of tourism as it now stands, but together as a region, we can grow and we can benefit,” Bartlett says.

CARICOM nations could benefit from the proposed regional tourist visa regime

The idea would be that a traveler could clear customs in Jamaica and then be “domestic” across the countries of the Caribbean Community, from Barbados to Antigua to Trinidad.

“It will bring more airlines into our space because the turnaround time for the aircraft will be significantly reduced as a result. More rotations could be had, and thus more visitors can come in,” Bartlett says. 

“The other element of importance is that it also provides a new skill set to be developed in the Caribbean area. What tourism will be doing is now saying we’re not just people who have bartenders, cooks and housekeepers, but we are into technology, aviation, logistics and procurement,” he said.

Although rare, it has happened before. CARICOM provided accommodations for guests for approximately three months during the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup throughout the nine host nations (as well as Dominica).

Caricom members include Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. caribbean visa

How a regional tourist visa regime could boost Caribbean tourism and economies

By creating common airspace and promoting multi-destination tourism, the tourism industry in the region could see significant growth, resulting in the creation of new jobs in various sectors, such as technology, aviation, logistics, and procurement. This could help to reduce unemployment rates and stimulate economic development across the Caribbean. Additionally, the implementation of a regional tourist visa regime could lead to increased collaboration and cooperation between CARICOM nations, promoting regional integration and unity.