The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association has issued a statement strongly rejecting comments by Guyana's president Bharrat Jagdeo over taxation.
At a recent press conference in St Kitts, president Jagdeo said it was “absolute nonsense” that governments are taxing hotels out of existence.
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association said members were disappointed by the Guyana president's “unfortunate remarks".
Josef Forstmayr, president of CHTA, said: "With all due respect, the CHTA is of the view that president Jagdeo speaks from a misinformed position on taxation in the various islands throughout the region and with little or no knowledge of the tourism industry and the contribution it makes to Caribbean economies.
"It is quite obvious that our political leaders have a narrow and limited perspective on the far-reaching positive effects of tourism on our Caribbean economies."
He added: "CHTA would like to extend an open invitation to president Jagdeo, and anyone else misinformed, to a discussion forum on tourism to explore the overwhelming, sometimes immeasurable but undeniable impact that tourism has on our Caribbean economies."
By Bev Fearis
