The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced a rule that may complicate next year’s Spring Break plans.

As of Dec. 31, Americans will be required to carry passports to gain admittance to the Caribbean islands, except Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. Before this requirement, they simply could use a driver’s license or birth certificate.

‘It’s been so easy to travel here that this will definitely impede visitor flows,’ said Paul Pennicook, head of the state tourism board of Jamaica, where more than half of U.S. tourists enter without passports, according to The New York Times. In other words, it interrupts the flow of money from visitors.

To deal with this ‘crisis,’ some have begun campaigns to educate would-be travelers about the requirement so they won’t be shocked by it at the last minute, and will plan ahead and get passports now. A smart move.

SuperClubs resort chain is taking it one step further, and has announced it will pay about $100 to each traveler in the upcoming year to cover the passport cost, provided they book a room in one of their hotels.

But bribing potential tourists is ludicrous, and insulting to both Americans and Caribbean people.

If SuperClub officials are so upset about losing money because of the passport requirement, they should not be handing out freebies to tourists. Each $100 they spend is $100 less that could have been spent toward employee benefits or other hotel expenses. The Caribbean needs to hold on to every dollar it has.

Furthermore, Americans who travel to Europe, Asia and most any other country, completely understand that they need to obtain a passport. It makes absolute sense – it’s not even questioned. They are foreign countries. The fact that they did not need passports to travel to the islands of the Caribbean prior to the new requirement doesn’t make sense – these islands are foreign countries too, not just strips of sand and tourist playgrounds.

Most Americans recognize this, one would hope. And while getting a passport is frustrating, and an annoying expense, it’s a necessary evil. American tourists traveling to the Caribbean can handle it. It won’t result in a mass boycott or confusion. They should put up the $100, as they would if the traveled to any other country and needed a passport. The Caribbean is worth it.

JEAN STEVENS IS A JUNIOR WOMEN’S STUDIES, POLITICAL SCIENCE AND MAGAZINE MAJOR. E-MAIL HER AT JMSTEV03@SYR.EDU.

Published on May 1, 2005 at 12:00 pm