EASTERN CARIBBEAN: TOURISM ECONOMY WAITING FOR THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRIDGETOWN 000162 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIN ECON ETRD PREL XL SUBJECT: EASTERN CARIBBEAN: TOURISM ECONOMY WAITING FOR THE BOTTOM TO FALL OUT REF: BRIDGETOWN 136 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Governments across the Eastern Caribbean continue to put on a brave face about the effects of the global economic recession; however, sources in the business community paint a different picture. Local tourism associations and hoteliers are very concerned about the depth and duration of the downturn. Many explain that the steep drop-off coming this May will likely lead to the shuttering of hotels across the region. Local governments for their part have sought to provide economic stimulus via tax holidays for the hotels and increased unemployment insurance for laid-off workers. Many speculate that a prolonged recession starching into 2010 could lead to large increases in unemployment, crime and regional instability. End Summary. -------------- -------------- Barbados: Holding Steady But Bracing For Downturn -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The GOB continues to maintain that they have yet to be more than marginally affected by the global economic downturn. The Central Bank of Barbados estimated that long-term hotel stays dropped by two percent for all of 2008 and predicts moderately larger drops for 2009. Such rosy pronouncements were contradicted by Susan Springer of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, who explained that the hotel industry in Barbados has been significantly affected by the crisis. Bookings for most of the hotels, she said, are off by 20 percent from the previous year across the industry; however, on an individual basis some hotels are off more that 50 percent. There has been a flight to the middle in tourism bookings, according to Central Bank Research Director Dr. Daniel Boamah, leading to a crunch in the high-end properties as well as the low-end properties, with the budget hotels being hit the hardest. According to Silver Sands Resort General Manager Randal Ward, his hotel has seen bookings off by 20 percent, noting that as a larger mid-priced property he was faring better than most. ¶3. (SBU) Ward explained that in order to deal with his loss of revenue, he has implemented a program of revolving furloughs of 15 percent of his staff where they are let go for one week per month. The government and the unions have agreed to work with most of the major hotels to prevent 
layoffs. Under this agreement, furloughed employees are paid training wages by the government, which covers a portion of their lost wages and was agreed to by the union. Mounting job losses in the tourism sector led the government to provide a $15 million bailout to support hotels on the island, with the promise of more money if necessary. -------------- Antigua: Economy Fading Fast -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Antiguan government continues to claim publicly that the country is weathering the current economic downturn quite well and that arrivals remain buoyant. Antigua property values have not yet started to fall, but there are no transactions either, so it is difficult to assess the values accurately, local real estate developer Bruce Baxter explained. Tourism also seems to be holding up in terms of occupancies and airlift into and out of the island; however, most agree that Antigua is still benefiting from bookings made during the middle of 2008 and that the real effects will be felt after the peak season, starting in May. The fall out from the Stanford indictment (reftel) has yet to be factored into the current economic situation, according to Lestroy Samuel, Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority, but could be significant. ¶5. (SBU) Many of the largest properties in Antigua have already announced large layoffs and more are expected to follow. MinFin Erol Cort told PolOff that the government has plans to increase support for the tourism sector, including a tax holiday for hoteliers and a yet to be finalized unemployment insurance scheme for people who lose their jobs. The constitutional legality of the unemployment insurance plan was challenged by Opposition Leader Stedroy "Cutie" Benjamin, who explained that it would require changes to the BRIDGETOWN 00000162 002 OF 003 law that the ruling party has not sought to implement. During an election cycle and a concomitant economic downturn, Embassy sources have speculated that such legal nitpicking is not the best political strategy. -------------- St. Kitts: Bad Timing -- Too Much, Too Fast -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Prime Minister Denzil Douglas' multi-year plan to convert the St. Kitts and Nevis economy from a sugar cane-based economy to a tourism economy has come to fruition. The sugar cane industry has virtually shut down and the pace of tourism development is astonishing. Several new developments are scheduled to be finished in 2011, including five-star hotels, private homes and a luxury marina. Many speculate, though, that the timing could not be worse, as these properties need to be performing assets soon after they open if investors have any hopes of keeping up with finance charges. Meanwhile, cruise ships are still arriving -- 22 ships visited with 40,000 passengers disembarking from February 1st to the 18th. Large hotels are still seeing decent bookings. The Marriott corporation's new "vacation villas" property is enjoying 94 percent occupancy, and opened an additional 22 three-bedroom units in January. Industry sources tell us that most current visitors booked their travel plans before the downturn, and a much slower 2009 is expected. ¶7. (SBU) In December 2008, Finance Minister Timothy Harris predicted the tourism industry in St. Kitts and Nevis will experience a depressed 2009 as hotels are already experiencing lower bookings compared to the previous year. For now the tourists keep coming, propping up the economy while tourism development projects by large corporations keep the population employed. The government and its development partners are betting heavily on a speedy global recovery, but the business community is beginning to get nervous. -------------- St. Vincent: Pinning Hopes on the Uber-Rich -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Ken Boyea, a key player in the local economy, told PolOff that the global economic downturn is having a slightly negative effect on business and on the SVG economy as a whole. His expectations for 2009 are not favorable and he fears the worst is yet to come. In preparation, Boyea is adjusting course a bit and importing lower-end food products catering to a population with a little less income. Business at his KFC franchise is actually up as diners move from higher-end restaurants to the cheaper fast food option. Not discouraged for the long term, Boyea is moving ahead with plans to build a small shopping center which will include a second KFC franchise. Betting that the global economy will be rebounding by beginning of 2010, the project is due for completion in March, 2010. ¶9. (SBU) The SVG economy, not as tourism-dependent as other Caribbean nations, is less affected by reduced bookings. Hotels operating on the SVG mainland are suffering more than their Grenadine counterparts. The bulk of SVG's tourism industry is located in the Grenadines. Famous for super high-end, low-volume tourism, the Grenadines cater to the world's wealthiest individuals, who can still afford a luxury vacation during a global recession. Eighty percent of Boyea's food import business is in the Grenadines with smaller high-end hotels and private residences. As the mainland is hit by harder economic times, the Grenadines should fare better, he speculated. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Governments across the Eastern Caribbean have all tried to put on a brave face; however, it is becoming clear that the number of tourists coming from North America and the UK, which together account for roughly 70 percent of all arrivals and virtually all the high-end tourism, are falling fast. As tourism accounts for as much as 50 percent of private sector employment in some countries in the region, this is a very bad thing. To make matters worse, the one area of economic diversification for many of the regions, economies is offshore banking -- the sector that is leading BRIDGETOWN 00000162 003 OF 003 the global recession. Despite increasing fiscal stimulus packages, few in the business community believe they will have staying power beyond Fall, 2009. If the recovery is delayed until late 2010 or 2011, all bets are off. Unemployment and the concomitant crime and instability it will bring has many in the region very concerned. The business community fears that unemployment could lead many, particularly the youth, to criminal activity such as drug smuggling, which is already a growing problem in the region. HARDT