The Tribune

By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The deputy prime minister yesterday said air transportation and connectivity throughout the Caribbean must improve to advance tourism and regional trade relationships.

Speaking to reporters at the Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF), Chester Cooper, also minister of tourism, investments and aviation, said Caribbean residents and tourists have been faced with the “old story” of having to connect through a major US airport such as Miami while en route to another Caribbean island.

Calling for improved inter-regional travel, he said: “This is an old story. We often lament having to travel to Miami to go to Barbados, or having to pass The Bahamas when they’re coming from Jamaica to go to Miami, and then come back to The Bahamas.

“If we are going to foster closer relationships in CARICOM, if we are going to do more business and if we are going to improve what we have been talking about as multi-destination tourism, this is an area that we must resolve.

“We have the begun some conversations through the Caribbean Tourism Organisation. I’ve been leading some of these conversations as vice-chairman of CARICOM, but it has to be a business. The business cannot just be idealism.”

Mr Cooper explained that regional airlines can create codeshare interline agreements to improve multi-destination travel, while shipping routes must be improved to facilitate increased regional agricultural trade.

He added: “So Bahamasair must talk to Caribbean airlines, must talk to Cayman Airways and all of the Caribbean air carriers to ensure that we’re bringing them all together to create codeshare interline agreements and collaborate on some of these important routes.

“And then there’s shipping. If we’re going to move agricultural products from Haiti to The Bahamas or Guyana to The Bahamas, or if we’re going to get poultry from Jamaica to The Bahamas, we must open the shipping lanes.

“All of these problems spell opportunities. And I hope that Bahamian business and Caribbean business will recognise that in all of these issues we face, and all of the challenges that confront us, there’s opportunity for business. There’s opportunity for investments, there’s significant opportunity for profit.”

Mr Cooper said more than 45 investors will be present at this week’s conference, and added that the region must improve its trade to be sustainable.

“There are 45 institutional investors from 40 countries, more than 500 registered attendees, and I hope that there are some deals made this week,” the deputy prime minister said. “We have banks, we have multilateral agencies, we have investors from around the world, so this is not just about The Bahamas; it’s about the entire Caribbean.

“We have to do more in the Caribbean to do business with ourselves for the sustainability of the region, and for the general harmony and relationships in the region, and for improved connectivity, improved logistics. The more business deals that are done, the more we will have air connectivity and shipping routes created for the entire Caribbean”

Mr Copper explained that the conference will focus on areas such as technology, renewable energy and agriculture, providing an opportunity for regional leaders and businesses to attract investments and best practices in these areas.

He said: “This event is big on technology, AgriTech, FinTech, ICT. It’s also big on renewable energy and, of course, agriculture. There’s a big imperative in CARICOM to reduce food imports to the Caribbean by 25 percent by the year 2025.

“We will need some new investments in agriculture and therefore this is an opportunity to get best practice from our colleagues, to have thought leadership in these various areas, but more importantly, to attract investment to The Bahamas and to the Caribbean.”