Caribbean tourism body says region will be ready for resumption of UK travel on May 17

The Caribbean Hotel & Tourist Association (CHTA) has written to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, asserting that the Caribbean will be ready to meet the UKs target for safe reopening of international travel on May 17.

That’s the date recommended by the UK Government’s Global Travel Taskforce for ‘The Safe Return of International Travel’ which was presented to the Prime Minister earlier this month by the Secretary of State for Transport.

In its letter, dated April 23, the CHTA highlights what it says is the “significant work which the Caribbean public and private sectors have undertaken over the past fourteen (14) months to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on residents and travelers, and to protect our people and economies as we move towards the safe return of travel.

Using your criteria of the Task Force therefore, the regional body is asserting its confidence that the United Kingdom can safely reopen travel to the Caribbean.

According to the CHTA, the guidance, recommendations and roadmap presented in the Task Force report “are well-aligned with the work which the Caribbean has undertaken over the past fourteen months.”

“Our work has resulted in the Caribbean, including the 19 Commonwealth jurisdictions, having one of the lowest per capita rates of Covid-19 reported incidents, hospitalization, and deaths in the world, a record we are committed to maintain as we, like the United Kingdom, move to responsibly reopen travel,” it asserted.

To buttress that argument, it highlighted the fact that the rate of infection per 100,000 population for the Caribbean Public Health Agency’s member states is significantly lower (617.4) as compared to Latin America (3,658.1), the US (S (9,117.3), and the UK (6,249.9).

“These low rates, it said, were “reflective of early and sustained proactive measures,” even as member states continue to make good progress in vaccinating their populations, and are on target to achieve high vaccination rates ahead of the levels anticipated several months ago.

In that regard, it highlighted the fact that tourism industry employees have been receiving priority vaccination status in a growing number of jurisdictions.