WHTI--Weathering a storm:
Bahama Journal Editorial -
nassau, Bahamas:

Tuesday, September 11, 2001 marked the beginning of a new state of affairs in the world. That was the day when terrorists struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; incidentally that same day when they would have struck the White House itself.

Mercifully, they were thwarted in this last design.

We raise this 9/11 specter of terror as we reflect on the significance of what has come to be known as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

As we have come to learn, The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires all citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda to have a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States from within the Western Hemisphere.

We note also that the travel document requirements make up the departments of State and Homeland Security’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). This change in travel document requirements is the result of recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, which Congress subsequently passed into law in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

We are further advised that The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require, with some exceptions, that citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the British Overseas territory of Bermuda present a passport to enter the United States when arriving by air or sea from any part of the Western Hemisphere, including The Bahamas.

Of extreme importance to this country is the fact that during consultations in Washington, D.C. in June, U.S. Ambassador John Rood promoted awareness of the travel initiative within the United States by securing approval for placement of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s posters reminding travelers of the passport initiative to be posted in all U.S. customs and passport facilities in Florida.

We are told that "the shift to the passport requirement at airports is the first phase of a broader initiative to strengthen scrutiny at all points of entry, an initiative recommended by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The new rules are likely to be instituted at land and sea ports as soon as Jan. 1, 2008."

We are today being advised that yesterday's smooth transition was like a tonic to many. This was due to the fact that a high percentage of travelers had in fact obtained a passport.

The message –quite clearly- did get through.

For now, those rare travelers who arrive at airports without passports are generally being accommodated rather than turned away, said Kelly Klundt, a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

We are advised that tourism officials in Mexico and Canada had earlier expressed concern that potential tourists -- particularly those traveling by land -- would be turned off by the new passport requirement.

J. Willard "Bill" Marriott Jr., chairman and chief executive of Marriott International expresses a commonly held fear when he indicates, "I'm afraid, if it's not properly implemented and communicated, that WHTI could have a serious negative impact on legitimate commerce and tourism, as well as our diplomatic relationships with our two largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico."

Similarly, Mexican Tourism Secretary Rodolfo Elizondo Torres predicted that 318,000 fewer Americans would visit Mexico in the next year because of the new requirement. "The lost income could reach $254 million a year," Torres said in a statement.

Note also that there is a Caribbean voice that speaks. It belongs to CTO’s Secretary General, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace.

He said that "while the Caribbean applauds the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) and the US government’s efforts to increase security at the borders, he believes that the different sets of rules for sea, air or land travel may leave travelers confused and could discourage commerce and tourism."

Vanderpool-Wallace was also troubled by the possibility that "the potential economic impact on their business could be catastrophic…

Because of the potential far ranging effect of this action; there is nothing potentially more devastating. This is a category six hurricane."

While we appreciate and understand the depth of his fear concerning this matter, we are today persuaded that The Bahamas and its neighbours can and will weather this storm –as they have done through so many others.

Passengers experienced few difficulties yesterday as new border security rules went into effect requiring citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and some Caribbean islands to present a passport when entering the United States by air, officials said.

Previously such passengers were able to prove their identity with a variety of documents, including a combination of a birth certificate and a driver's license. Now, under select circumstances, two other documents, the Merchant Mariner Document and the Nexus Air card, will be permitted instead of a passport.

26 January 2006