By: Staff Writer
February 17, 2023
The Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis stressed the importance of tackling the “elephant in the room” on inter-Caribbean travel as pivotal to strengthening the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).
Dr Terrance Drew, addressing the 44th CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting in Nassau, The Bahamas, told delegates that as a region it must come to grips with solving the age old problem of intra-regional travel.
Dr Drew said: “We view the region as a single space for the people of our region to live, engage in robust economic activity and advanced the economic and social prospects of our region. It is difficult for us to extol the virtues of the CMSE without addressing the proverbial elephant in the room: Intra regional transport.”
Intra-regional travel has always plagued the region as a barrier to the trade on goods and services and for the free movement of people.
The pandemic had exacerbated this problem and simultaneously highlighting the greater need for a solution. The Caribbean reported a loss of more than $1bn in 2021 owing to a stagnation in travel between the region’s destinations, prompting the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) to recommend a concerted effort by the governments and private sector leaders to boost intra-regional travel while fostering greater parity, clarity and consistency for travel.
This call, being echoed by Dr Drew, has also gotten support from the Deputy Prime Minister of the host country, who told reporters that intra-regional trade will feature prominently in the discussions at these CARICOM meetings.
Dr Drew added: “For example, coming to this meeting in Bahamas is a classic case in point, many of us had to fly to Miami, overnight there before taking a flight the following day to our destination here in Nassau, Bahamas. It takes no less than 24 hours to move from country to country within our region at times, compared to other nation developed countries with highly developed transport means and modalities.”
The intra-regional transportation woes also ties into a fully functioning and effective Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), where Dr Drew noted that without proper travel being sorted out the region cannot move forward with a strong CSME.
Dr Drew also said: “We in the Caribbean remain at a disadvantage in realizing the benefits of the CSME that the framers of the CARICOM treaty envisaged. Moving from New York, for example, to Washington DC takes a mere four hours by car and less than two hours by aircraft. The contrast is a stark reality of the challenge we face on an on-going basis here in the Caribbean.”
Highlighting The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, He noted: “Further, Chapter Six of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas provides the framework for inter-alia, aid organization of efficient, reliable, affordable transport services throughout the community and the promotion of cooperative arrangements for transport services.”
Regional airlines have come and gone. For example, LIAT was a failed attempt at a regional carrier that went into liquidation in June of 2020. Prior to its liquidation it was still struggling as the capacity could not meet up with the need to fly to other Caribbean jurisdictions.
There is also Caribbean Airlines Limited, which is is the state-owned airline and flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago, which is also the flag carrier of Jamaica and Guyana. However, it is still not the preferred carrier of many Caribbean jurisdictions.
Whatever happens with intra-regional travel is up to the government and the private sector to come to grips with. Maybe the reality is not many of the people in the Caribbean have the demand to travel to other Caribbean countries and bookings may be low as a result, which would affect profitability of more regular routes throughout the region. For example, Caribbean Airlines in 2019, posted its first profit of $4m after having commenced operations in 2007.