The entire Caribbean is catching its breath in excitement with the person whose motto reads “the unity of the Caribbean in its diversity.” We send him our congratulations and our warmest welcome from here.

Simon, what new policy and strategy are you going to develop as new CHA president? In the first place we must strengthen the unity of the organization because, just to put it this way, I'm “the unity candidate.” I think I represent a constituency that has never ever had a representation up in the CHA presidency, and I guess the basis of my legitimacy lies in my quest for unity, unity in diversity –cultural diversity, tourist products, and the like. Unity is the main message. In practical terms and before outlining strategic aspects or new guidelines, we must conclude the process of searching for the new CHA director-general. John Bell is gonna retire in December. There's already a committee in place presided over by myself and this committee is in charge of having candidates ready by July 1st tops, with a view to let the new appointed candidate take over in early October. That's our top priority right now. The post notice reads that the association's new director-general must speak Spanish as an indispensable requirement. Now that appears to be a step forward. It's an absolute requirement. Without speaking fluent Spanish, the candidacy won't pass.

You've laid out the main guidelines of the new presidency, but what fundamental problems from the former presidency are yet to be worked out? Is there any concrete solution to them? There's an assortment of pending issues we're going to continue pushing for regardless of not having a new director-general in office. The most important matter as we speak is to set going the new regional marketing program Life Needs the Caribbean. This project is about to get underway, and once it's in force, the most important matter will be the institutionalization of the trusteeship's 16-million-dollar fund earmarked for the program, with governments forking over 50% and the private sector shelling out the remaining half.

Is it going to be a Mexican-style trusteeship? Absolutely, Mexico is an example worth assessing. We're holding talks with the CTO to whip it into a definitive shape, especially as far as permanent financing is concerned because the $16-million fund is temporary, worth for 18 months and in the course of those 18 months we must put the necessary mechanisms in place to make sure we can generate permanent promotional resources.

Airlines continue to be a drag for many Caribbean countries, especially in their connections to Europe. Are you planning to take some actions to improve that situation? In that respect, we're talking with major airlines operating in the region, yet we haven't reached any concrete statement to agree upon. This has been a dragging problem that has a lot to do with the member states' aeronautical policies. Up to now, we've just tried to pull some strings on those policies with a view to achieve standardization and push for openness, for more open skies.

What can you say about those companies bent on levying a tax on small-fry destinations with poor air traffic? Can you go to bat for the underdog from this organization? You bet. That's one of the premiere problems we must address. We ought to help those destinations not big enough to stand up against this kind of pressure on their own. Truth is competition among airlines will let us tackle those problems and that comes with openness.

As to the creation of the Caribbean Airline Association which is not running smoothly yet, is either the CHA or the CTO contemplating any project to buttress this organization? The CHA is willing to play ball in the institutionalization of this association and in the creation of joint mutual support programs. I think, though, the association and its members are the ones that must show relevance and clout. There's been no contact because they haven't taken the first step yet.

As far as the European market is concerned, how important is it going to be for CHA? Are you going to implement a different policy to the one used in the U.S.? CHA's direction toward the U.S. market is a matter of tradition and its roots run deep. The lack of knowledge in some Caribbean countries, and chiefly in the English-speaking Caribbean toward the European market is paramount. There's a lot of ignorance about it and one of CHA's efforts is focused on educating and making its members acquainted with the European markets. However, the current situation is helping us because those European markets are redefining their stance toward long-haul travel, and on the other hand, the U.S. market goes on to be the traditional market for the Caribbean and it's pretty much close at hand. Another unfavorable element is the fact that some destinations like the Dominican Republic, and Cancun and the Mayan Riviera to a lesser degree, are gunning for the U.S. market, a position they've never had a strong grip of. And what about Cuba? The island nation is waiting for the lifting of the embargo. I mean, everything points to the continuation of the U.S. market, even though the situation forces us to look for alternatives. European markets will be reopening –or opening- as they pop up to the surface in those Caribbean nations where their presence has never been strong. The CHA should keep on working toward the opening of European markets as feasible markets. It should continue seeking ways to fulfill those goals.

Has the CHA established links with the European Community? One formula the CHA has been looking for, with a likely strengthening, is its presence in the European Community. In recent years and through the Caribbean Council for Europe (CCE), we've kept a bond in place for information exchange and the designing of projects to be handed in to the European Community. As a matter of fact, we're within an inch of winning passage of a special program to be run by the CHA with funds purveyed by the European Community. The decision we made was to ask our current director-general, John Bell, for help in strengthening the CHA's presence in Europe, a task that will allow us to keep Mr. Bell linked to the association and use his talent and prestige as a key player of the Caribbean's tourist industry in Europe.

Do you have any intention to open a CHA office in Europe? That plan is not in the offing, but I dare to foretell that as long as we manage to implement projects like these ones, we should have a permanent CHA rep in Europe.

We've heard in every meeting about small resorts' serious difficulties to compete with huge hotel chains. Could an office in Europe be of any help for them? We must precisely think out ways to make small hotels in the Caribbean come together because standards vary and islands vary, too. We'll have to conduct an organization work, a marketing effort for hotel groups, and that's something we must undertake in the organization.

The CHA and the CTO don't have a close collaboration in Europe. Do you believe this situation could improve? Absolutely, of course it can improve. I'd say branding the collaboration as poorly close is not exactly right. I'd say the CHA has been riding the caboose of the CTO train as far as presence in the European markets is concerned. We should reinforce our presence and set up links similar to the ones we have with the CTO in other markets, like the U.S. market, in which we're up to par with them. We must work on getting those same common links in Europe.

The congress and incentive tourism is picking up steam in the Caribbean. Is the organization going to take any action to promote this kind of tourism? The CHA is going to have relationships with different organizations. So far, we've just focused on training our members for this kind of tourism. But we did some reality check here, because most Caribbean countries lacked adequate facilities. This is changing now because Puerto Rico has a very ambitious project on the bargaining table, and so does Bavaro in the Dominican Republic, Curazao, Barbados. So, little by little we'll have the chance of getting our foot in the door of that kind of market. As long as these institutions grow up, the CHA will edge deeper into the incentive market.

Has there been any approach to such major planners of congresses and incentives as Afida, Cocal or the Latin American Bureau? Because of that traditional belief that there were no facilities in the Caribbean, we've never jumped onto those markets. We've made no coordinated efforts with these markets. But we will do it in the future in a coordinated and concentrated way.

Mexico's exit of the CTO and the fact that other continental countries are not in the organization is somehow a crack in the Caribbean. Does the new presidency have any policy to face up to this situation? It would go against the grain of unity that's guiding this new presidency not to prevent Mexico's exit. In fact, we're holding talks right now in this sense. There are constitutional problems within the CTO whose resolution brooks no further delay. Nonetheless, we're doing everything within our power to make Mexico rejoin the CTO through a practical formula. After all, it doesn't make reasonable sense that Mexico's federal government is interested in joining exclusively one regional organization, whereas the state of Quintana Roo is twice as much interested in representing Mexico at the CTO.

CHIC took place in a country in which one of the member states was not allowed to attend, and the same nation –Puerto Rico- will host next year's CHA Marketplace, CHA's marketing event. Doesn't that go a little tad against the grain, too? Maybe this incongruity will give the chance to stress on the importance of Cuba's joining the Caribbean with full rights.

What does the Dominican Republic expect from a Dominican president like you? I think the Dominican Republic hasn't taken for granted something it belongs to it naturally: leadership in number and size. I hope this leadership in size can be rendered in a leadership of facts, programs, objectives and goal setting. And I'm confident my country is going to play this role both at a private and public level. For this purpose, I expect the Dominican government to rejoin the ranks of the CTO as a leader, to take the leadership it has been bestowed on. Today, the nation holds the vice presidency of the CTO's board of directors. I hope it will shift the organization into the high-gear dynamics we all want to see.

Now moving into more personal affairs, we've been talking to some key figures in the Caribbean and they all have impeccable opinions about Simon Suarez, let alone that their expectations toward his new CHA presidency are running high. Isn't this putting you under a lot of strain? It somewhat worries me to know there are so many positive expectations. I want to remind everybody that Simon Suarez is only human, that the CHA is an institution and that in due time, five vice presidents will join the board of directors to represent their constituents, and that will be the organization's front office. I'm not by principle a president who rejoices in absolute power. I strongly believe my collaborators, the vice presidents are as much president as I am and they will share their views with me because they have committed themselves to do so, to share responsibilities in office. I'm not the only one.

We've talked extensively on the organization's objectives, but what are your objectives as a person? What will make you happier at the end of your term? The fulfillment and strengthening of intact unity. For me, the name of the game is –and I'll feel very happy about it- the fact that at the end of my term in office the CHA comes out a more integrated organization with better representation of the constituency that makes up the association today.