| The Bahamas Government Set To Tackle China Tourism Visa Snags |
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| 2007-09-28 10:26 |
The Government is planning to address “in a reasonable period of time” the difficulties Chinese nationals have in obtaining visas to travel to the Bahamas for tourism and commerce, the minister of state for finance telling The Tribune that the “Chinese business community is eager” to explore opportunities in this nation.
Zhivargo Laing, having returned from the second China Caribbean Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum earlier this month, said the Government would likely move swiftly to address the travel difficulties Chinese nationals had been experiencing by installing consular facilities at this nation’s Beijing Embassy.
“We believe we will address, in a reasonable period of time, some consular facilities in the Bahamas Embassy in Beijing to facilitate that,” Mr. Laing told The Tribune.
“Chinese nationals who are interested in coming to the Bahamas will not have to apply and then have a two –month time lag before they can travel.”
Bahamian tourism and business executives have repeatedly complained that their attempts to attract business and trade from China have been hampered by the extremely long time it takes for Chinese persons to obtain entry visas for this nation.
Currently, such visas have to be applied for and issued through the UK diplomatic mission in Beijing, a process that adds a huge amount of delay and red tape to the situation.
And although the Bahamas was name as a preferred travel destination for Chinese Tourists by Beijing in 2005, this nation and other Caribbean countries have not yet been able to exploit this.
“What has happened in our country as well as many other Caribbean countries affected by that,” Mr. Laing said, “is that the appropriate travel agencies and those in China have not been brought together to create the kinds of opportunity that will make that designation meaningful.”
Mr. Laing said his talks with Chinese government and business officials “were dominated by discussion of tourism opportunities”, both in terms of attracting greater numbers of Chinese visitors to the Bahamas and enticing Chinese businesspersons to invest in the Bahamian resort industry, especially niche, boutique resort properties in the Family Islands.
Talks also focused on alternative technology, energy and agriculture, and Mr.Laing added: “Given the rising prosperity in China, there could be financial services opportunities from the wealth management point of view ,as well as setting up Chinese financial institutions in the Bahamas as they seek investment opportunities in the West.”
The minister added:“I can tell you that the Chinese business community is eager to do great exploration in the Bahamas to determine what they can take advantage of
The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Laing said, was planning a trade mission to China next year, while “an agency of the Chinese government has indicated to me that they are planning to come to the Bahamas, if I am not mistaken, before the end of the year, to do some further exploration.”
China’s government announced it was committed over the next 3 years to provide $530 million in preferential loans to promote Chinese business investment within the Caribbean region, and Mr. Laing said it was possible the Bahamas could attract its shares that focused on areas where the Chinese were interested in investing here.
Describing the opportunities for the Bahamas as “ significant”, Mr. Laing said: “ There has to be a readiness on the part of the business community here to engage the Chinese in terms of what they have to offer.
“I believe that on the part of the Bahamas there have to be some structured missions to China. We have to engage the Chinese business community to
determine how one can best invest in the Bahamas.”
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