Above: Cuba

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The potential opening of Cuba to the American source market has led to strong emotions in the Caribbean — as some wonder whether the move will hinder tourism to the rest of the region or in some way help it.

Jamaica believes the latter, and the island’s government said this week that the move presents an “opportunity for significant tourism collaboration” between Jamaica and Cuba,” according to State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Arnaldo Brown.

The idea would be a bid to advance “multi-destination” tourism marketing, an idea that has been broached before in the region, most notably by the islands near St Maarten and St Martin.

“There are persons who [attempt to] make the argument and…case that the opening up of Cuba is likely to impact our tourism industry in a negative manner [particularly in relation to the United States market],” Brown said. “it is a view that the Minister of Tourism doesn’t share.”

Indeed, Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Wykeham McNeill, has said that “any increased competition that Cuba will present in the North American market should not be feared, but rather embraced, as we seek to forge an even stronger partnership which will redound to the benefit of both our nations, and the Caribbean, as a whole.”

Brown said that Jamaica currently serves as a gateway to Cuba for many Americans seeking to travel to the island, although that could change if and when direct, large-carrier flights begin between the US and Cuba.

“I believe that there is an opportunity for persons vacationing in Cuba to also visit Jamaica,” Brown said. “They are 90 miles to the north of us, which is not very far from here.”