11/02/12, 01:37:03 EST

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CHA President: EU Policy on Tourism Unacceptable

plenglish.com

Bridgetown, Barbados - Peter J. Odle, president of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) said the European Union proposal on tourism to its partners in Cariforum is insufficient and unacceptable.

CHA, said Odle, promotes that Cariforum and its member states keep on negotiating an agreement based on the study made by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and CHA, which was presented to the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Mechanism (CRNM) at the end of 2006.



In general, added CHA president, we are disappointed with the European Union because the non-paper presented by the EU does not represent the needs of economic agreements between Cariforum and the EU. European officials have little interest in the issue.



According to Odle, the EU proposal omits several critical elements stressed by Cariforum and which are essential for the support to the tourism industry in future economic agreements.



Among the omitted issues are the mechanisms with which anti-competitive practices in the tourism industry will be faced and prevented, details on access to the European market for Caribbean services suppliers, as well as mutual recognition of tourism professionals.



Elements dealing with sustainable tourism development, technical asístanse and development of cooperation agreements were also excluded from the EU proposal.



Nothing is mentioned by the EU, says Odle, as to a dialogue strategy with Cariforum to discuss crucial issues related with tourism.



CHA points out that commitments agreed on or not in the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) will model future negotiations with Cariforum states, but also stresses that due to the importance of tourism in regional development and the role in it of the European market, CHA will keep on pursuing a just recognition for the tourism industry and the inclusion of important sections in the EPA, concluded Odle.

 Printable Version  | published Sep 30, 2007