Simon SuarezFormer President of the Caribbean Hotel Association and Executive Vice President of Coral Hotels & Resorts

by Jose Carlos de Santiago

Given his ample knowledge and experience within the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), coupled with his hotel expertise, Mr. Suarez made some very interesting and in-depth assessments about what´s going on in the region these days.

This exclusive interview with Caribbean News Digital took place within the framework of the latest edition of the Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference held last June in Miami.

Q.- What´s your opinion about the appointment of Vincent Vanderpool as the CTO´s new secretary-general?

A.- This is a highly positive process that underscores the desire of the CTO to make a sea change. The overhaul of the CTO -that has been trumpeted and is currently underway- has now gotten a big leg up with the appointment of Vincent Vanderpool as new secretary-general. CHA has been a part of that effort and we´re very upbeat about the possibility of seeing a reemergence of the CTO as an effective and vigorous organization, rise as a hefty shoulder ready to bear the brunt of the Caribbean travel industry.

Q.- What changes should the CTO make in order to have an effective new leadership? What should the CTO revamp beyond the designation of a new chief?

A.- Changes are very important at this moment, but CHA shouldn´t make any comments on that particular issue. Fortunately, our voice is being heard at the CTO and we´re having a say in that change, but we shouldn´t make any comments right now. The CTO needs proactive support of its entire membership to guarantee that all Caribbean members could retake their commitment with the entire region.

The designation of a new secretary-general is only a means, but the true objective is the commitment of all members to strengthening both the organization and tourism in the region. States and organizations that broke rank with the CTO in the past should now be invited to jump back on the bandwagon. Now the Dominican Republic is staging a comeback, and that´s a country that deserves to have a much bigger say within the organization, given the contribution this nation does to the regional hospitality sector.

Q.- What should be done to fix the estrangement between CTO and CHA, as well as with other organizations in the Caribbean?

A.- There´s an intention to have CTO and CHA march along like a cluster, defining criteria and common goals, seeking proactive relations with the rest of the Caribbean organizations. We must make all CARICOM bodies and entities come together around tourism.

It´s our duty to work together with other organizations within the Caribbean region to muster up support for the CTO. However, it´ll be a whole lot better to help travel destinations in the region to join these organizations and play a hands-on role in them.

Q.- When is CHA open up to investors other than American and Caribbean investors, like Spanish businesspeople, for instance?

A.- You´re making a point. However, there´s been some bold Spanish investors who have chipped in something of their own and have fortunately knocked down that sort of language barrier that stood in the way. They have stormed Barbados, Jamaica and other Caribbean countries.

If investors are supposed to spearhead this effort, so be it. And CHA has to support them every step of the way through investment conferences and marketing, rely on the framework contributed by events lie DATE and CHIC.

Q.- How can the markets in Spain and in the rest of Europe get some hype in Latin American events without any promotion?

A.- We know that nearly a third of the Dominican delegation to CHIC is made up of journalists. The entire Mexican delegation to this event is from the press. There´s nobody from Cuba, for example, and the whole Spanish delegation is also from the press.

Q.- What about the ties between CHA and cruise companies?

A.- There have been general talks to assess the situation and figure out the common grounds between the two parties, both the agreements and disagreements. We´re making headway in a number of issues through joint efforts, marketing strategies, training and so on. Relations are getting stronger with each passing day and we´re relying on the diplomatic ways to do just that. That´s the best way to make progress in this respect.

Q.- What´s wrong between CHA and Mexico?

A.- It´s paramount to have the Mexican Caribbean back in business within CHA. To me, that reinsertion should be made as soon as possible. The state of Quintana Roo must be recognized as the official Mexican representative to the CTO. The parties have been trying to talk about that and we must all work together to bring this off.

Q.- The U.S. decision to enforce the mandatory use of passports by its citizens is certainly causing a commotion in the Caribbean. What major drawbacks could this new action bring on for the region?

A.- We´ve lost roughly forty percent of our customers. We should have the numbers of how many Americans come to the Caribbean without passports. That figure could paint a pretty clear picture of how devastating this new enforcement might be for the region. The point is that an administrative regulation is making the Caribbean lose a considerable part of its clientele overnight. The flow of incoming visitors could dwindle to a trickle in the twinkling of an eye.

Q.- Dominican President Leonel Fernandez asked President Bush to take a second look at the measure. He´s been the only head of State who´s done that so far, hasn´t he?

A.- You´re right, and that effort was hammered out at the end of meeting between President Fernandez and the chairman of ASONAHORES. Three weeks ago, President Fernandez asked U.S. President George W. Bush to order a review of the measure. The U.S. said it would respond by the end of the month because the Homeland Security Department´s deadline expires on July 30th. The chairman of ASONAHORES accompanied President Fernandez to Washington to help him handle this situation. We now need to reach out to as many people as we possibly can, especially in the U.S. media and make our case in this respect. We´re also reaching out to community leaders in our nations.

Q.- What do you think of the Dominican Republic´s comeback to the CTO?

A- That´s very important, but it´s my belief the Dominican Republic needs to have a much bigger say, as I said at the top of this interview, within the CTO. This is a country that must be represented in the CTO by the Tourism Secretary in an effort to be up to par with the rest of the member states. I insist the Dominican administration should consider the possibility of making the nation´s Tourism Secretary the official representative to the CTO. On the other hand, the return of the Dominican Republic to the CTO means a lot in terms of positive promotion and advertisement for the Caribbean travel industry.

Q.- What do you make of the $5 surcharge the Dominican Tourism Department wants to levy on all tourists visiting the Dominican Republic?

A.- The Dominican government wants to use that surcharge to step up investment in tourism infrastructure, especially in some destinations around the country. Given the country´s stance before the IMF, the administration is forbidden to use economic resources in the promotion of the nation. I´m absolutely against the $5 surcharge.