Only weeks after making history as the first Dominican-born and Dominican-residing national elected President-elect of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Gregor Nassief now finds himself at the center of a growing regional concern after being denied a United States visa.
Nassief, one of the Caribbean’s most respected tourism executives and business leaders, confirmed in an interview with Antigua. news on Thursday that both he and his wife were denied US visas under recently implemented United States immigration policies.
They flew to Barbados as usual to have their US visas renewed, but were flatly denied.
The development has sparked concern throughout the regional tourism industry, with Nassief warning that the implications extend far beyond his personal circumstances and could have serious consequences for Caribbean tourism, regional connectivity, investment promotion, and international representation.
“It’s not just about me,” Nassief said. “This has implications for the entire Caribbean.”
The timing of the denial has raised particular concern, given Nassief’s recent election as President-elect of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association during the Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Antigua and Barbuda.
As incoming head of the region’s most influential private-sector tourism organization, Nassief would ordinarily be expected to travel frequently to represent Caribbean tourism interests at conferences, trade missions, airline negotiations, investment forums, and policy discussions—many of which take place in the United States.
The United States remains the Caribbean’s largest tourism source market, accounting for millions of annual visitors and billions of dollars in tourism revenue.
Industry observers note that restricting the movement of senior Caribbean tourism officials could create challenges in maintaining direct engagement with airline executives, tour operators, investors, travel associations, cruise stakeholders, and US policymakers.