Javon Griffith & Alphea Wiggins
Private-sector-led ferry service initiative Connect Caribe, set to launch by the end of November this year, has received strong backing from a key envoy and the island’s hotel industry spokesman, who suggested it could revolutionise regional trade and tourism.
The consortium behind the ferry, spearheaded by a subsidiary of Pleion Group Inc. Barbados, aims to address longstanding challenges in maritime transport, trade, and commerce between Caribbean nations.
Special Envoy to Guyana and Suriname Alphea Wiggins and Javon Griffith, chairman of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), expressed strong support for the venture during a stakeholders’ consultation forum at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Wiggins emphasised the service’s potential to bolster food security and regional integration.
“The effort by Connect Caribbean is very important,” Wiggins said. “It shows us that everything that we have been doing in CARICOM in terms of the bilateral agreements that we would have signed with Suriname and Guyana… We now have Connect Caribbean and the platform there that is being run now by Mr Ram from [consortium member] Ram Logistics, that is going to help us significantly.”
Highlighting the critical role such a service could play during crises, Wiggins added: “Many of you remember that during COVID, food sovereignty and food security were under serious threat. We are not talking vaccines. We are talking about the food that we were eating… This initiative by Connect Caribbean is going to change the direction of food security and food sovereignty in the region.”
The envoy also called for harmonisation of sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS) across the Caribbean to facilitate smoother trade. “What we want to do is pass legislation to harmonise these standards within the region so that when goods leave Suriname to come to Barbados, we don’t get an issue at the port,” she explained. “These did not pass the test. Where is the SPS certificate? I’m saying that once we harmonise, standardise, and implement these issues within the region, it is going to help significantly.”
Griffith echoed Wiggins’ enthusiasm, eyeing a potential plus for intra-regional travel and tourism industry. “We see significant benefits that could be derived from this Connect Caribe ferry service. Of course, we do have an issue with regional airlift in terms of cost. Ferry service has proven itself over the years to be more cost-effective,” he noted.
The BHTA leader elaborated on the anticipated positive impacts: “We’re looking to see a significant drive towards increased visitor arrivals and increased leisure arrival spend. We’re also looking at seeing increased occupancy for our member properties. Because you now have a cheaper format for travel within the islands, we’re looking to see persons who may not necessarily have the means to travel be able to travel between the islands for the first time.”
While optimistic, Griffith acknowledged potential challenges: “At this stage, the only potential stumbling blocks that we could see for regional travellers would be those who may not necessarily have passports to travel… Once persons have the correct travel documents, which at this stage still remain a valid passport, there’s absolutely no reason why they couldn’t take advantage of this new service.”
Both Wiggins and Griffith stressed the importance of comprehensive marketing efforts to ensure the service’s success. Wiggins suggested: “A whole marketing plan has to be out there to let each territory know exactly what is going on so that Connect Caribbean will be a success for CARICOM and the region.” (RG)