INCOMING CHTA PRESIDENT DENIED US VISA

The decision by the United States government to deny a visa to the newly elected president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has sparked a regional debate over how this could affect the organisation’s operations, which has its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Dominica-born and resident businessman Gregor Nassief was elected CHTA president last month after a unanimous nomination, becoming the first hotelier from Dominica to hold the position.

However, according to media reports - including interviews with Mr Nassief, who has extensive and longstanding tourism-related business interests in Dominica, it’s not clear if the refusal to renew his US visa was in direct reference to him personally or part of a wider US policy umbrella which includes his country.

Dominica was one of several Caribbean countries included in new, more restrictive United States visa measures, which took effect at the start of this year.

In addition to a bond of US$15,000 for visa applications, it was reported that elements of the Citizenship by Investment(CIB) program operated by Dominica and several other Caribbean countries were of concern to the US State Department. It is understood that one issue of concern to the US State Department has been the lack of a residency requirement for the CBI status. The US government is said to be concerned that the program could allow individuals to conceal their identity and bypass vetting requirements.

Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has stated that his government has been having diplomatic exchanges with the US State Department over the policy. The Dominica government says it has been tightening legislation under which its CBI programme operates, including strengthening its vetting procedures and other security measures said to have been raised by the US.

Along with Dominica, 37 other countries, including Antigua and Cuba in the Caribbean, were included in the new tightened US visa policy, which took effect in January.

Meanwhile, in an updated policy statement in February titled ‘Immigrant Visa Processing Updates for Nationalities at High Risk of U.S. Public Benefits Reliance ‘, Dominica was again included in an expanded list along with Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,  Cuba, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines under that specific heading.

The matter of the tightened US visa policy and diplomatic stance towards several Caribbean countries is the topic of ongoing discussions at the political, business and community levels throughout the region.

The visa denial for the incoming CHTA president, Gregor Nassief of Dominica, is to date the highest profile under the new system.

Still unresolved are the implications for both Mr Nassief, who is due to take over the CHTA role at the start of 2027, and the Florida-headquartered CHTA. He is believed to be the most high-profile regional official to have been rejected for a US visa under the new policy.

Nassief is the chairman and CEO of GEMS Holdings Limited which owns several hotels in Dominica including Secret Bay, The Residences at Secret Bay, and Fort Young Hotel & Dive Resort. Nassief studied software engineering and finance at New York University. He also launched Cerca Technology in Latin America.

To date, there has been no official statement from the CHTA regarding his US visa restriction.

To date, there has been no official statement from the CHTA regarding his US visa restriction.

The CHTA was established in 1959 as part of the Caribbean Tourist Association but branched off on its own in 1962 as the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA). It describes itself as the leading association representing hotels and businesses dedicated to tourism and hospitality in the Caribbean. “We bring together the private sector community and act as a spokesperson before governmental authorities, regional government bodies and global organizations.”