Photo: Walkerssk/Pixabay.

By Frank Martin

2022, a year that began not only with a still complicated pandemic but also with a dangerous war in Europe, demands only one result: a good summer restoration.

So says the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) despite the winds and tides. The organization believes that this year will lay a foundation for the progress of international tourism.

With such a platform, CTO predicts that there will be a “pandemic” in the world in 2023 and 2024, but only of travel.

Despite what is currently happening in the world, the optimistic current does not seem to be lost. The CTO gathered input from its member countries to underscore its forecast at a recent two-session meeting. Some are more realistic than others.

As quoted in the invited press, delegates signaled very intelligent opinions.

“Nearly two years into the pandemic, destinations are wary of giving guarantees, and rightly so. But rising visitor numbers and a sense that COVID-19 is transitioning from pandemic to endemic status means that many Caribbean islands they have hope for the coming months,” wrote one of the experts.

Another proof of the Caribbean’s commitment to reality is that the vast majority of CTO members have not withdrawn their protection measures and protocols against the coronavirus and its modalities and extend the use of available vaccines.

Caribbean media cited, among others, regional tourism authorities such as those of Antigua and Barbuda who believe in a “good” summer of 2022 in this part of the world.

A return to normality of cruise ships in the Caribbean seas is even expected.

Of course, there are concerns in the Caribbean’s main industry about the war in Ukraine.

Regardless of the political criteria, which are diverse, there are a couple in which doubts remain: Will Russian and Ukrainian tourists continue to arrive?

European news agencies reported, for example, in recent days that some 15,000 Russian tourists and 2,000 Ukrainians were in the Dominican Republic due to travel restrictions imposed around the Russian military operation.

In the case of that republic, the decision of Russian airlines to transport Russian travelers back from vacation to their country already existed at the time of writing this note. The Dominican government said it has established an agreement with hotel chains to “guarantee” the accommodation of tourists “until a solution is found.”

“We really are citizens of the world and we have an opinion about what happens in Ukraine. That is a war that we would like to see end as soon as possible, but tour operators, governments and companies cannot do much more than try to protect our industry from the consequences,” a businessman linked to the sector confessed to TTC.

One of the reactions has been to collaborate with practical solutions that do not imply revealing any political bias, whether they are Russian or Ukrainian tourists or any other nationality.

And keep the tourist restoration open as much as possible.

FM