Jamaican business operators say they stand to lose their line of credit from Panamanian merchants who are now required to secure the newly introduced Caricom visa for travel to Jamaica and other countries in the regional grouping for the duration of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

“It is going to cost us more to do business, and it is also going to ruffle the feathers of people who we have very good business relations with,” said Michael Ammar, owner of the Ammar’s chain of clothing and dry goods stores.

“Panama extends Jamaica probably more credit than anywhere else right now in terms of consumer merchandise, and we are going to be severely affected by this.”

The concern among the Jamaican business owners is that their suppliers, who now have to apply to the Jamaica Consulate in Miami and pay US$100 for the Caricom visa, could start seeking new markets with less hassle.

Under the Caricom visa regime, nationals from all countries except France, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States and their dependent territories, as well as Canada, Germany, Japan, Italy, Ireland, South Africa, and Caricom, except for Haiti, are required to have a visa for travel to the region in order to access the Caricom single domestic space during the Cricket World Cup, which opens on March 11 and ends on April 28.

Prior to the new visa regime, persons travelling from Panama to Jamaica would take their passport to the Jamaica Consulate in that country and collect the business visa the next day.

Ammar said he recognised the extent of the problem on Friday when one of his suppliers postponed his scheduled arrival to the island because he had to send his documents to be processed in Miami, with no clear indication if and when he would be granted the visa.

Documents take three days to move from Panama to Miami.

The Observer was unable to reach the Jamaica Consulate to determine how long the visa process would take.

“It is easier to go to the Whitehouse than to travel to Jamaica,” said a frustrated Manuel Ghelman, an apparel merchant at Novatex International in Panama who supplies stores in Jamaica.

He told the Observer on Friday that he was caught off guard as he was not expecting to have to send his passport to Miami and to pay US$100 instead of the regular US$20.

He explained that between the visa charge and that of sending the documents by DHL he had to spend upwards of US$200 all together.

“Now, I don’t know if I will get the visa and how long it will take, and so I don’t know if I will even be able to come to Jamaica,” he said. “They are asking for so many things, it is getting impossible to travel to Jamaica. And so, with so many requirements, why would I go there when I could go somewhere else?”

Ghelman said he usually travels three to four times a year to Jamaica to supply clothes as he has to meet directly with the buyers.

“People that I work with in Jamaica need to see the samples, because even if I send pictures or so it is not the same,” he said.

Bashco and Megamart CEO Gassan Azan said that not many of the suppliers are prepared to go through the hassle of securing the visa.

“They are finding it very chaotic to come and do business here now, and this will be bad for us because a lot of them provide credit into this market,” he said.

Asked what recommendations he would make to address the situation, Azan said he was not hopeful that anything could be done now.

“I don’t even know what to ask for at this stage, because I think the whole thing has been botched so badly because the private sector had very limited involvement in anything to do with World Cup Cricket,” he said.

Ammar said he and fellow merchants are waiting to see what will happen as more of their suppliers discover that they can no longer apply for a business visa in Panama for travel to the island.

“It is going to impact business greatly, especially for the smaller business people who don’t travel to Panama, and they rely on these people coming here every two months to give them credit,” said Ammar.

“This is just such a bad situation because we are treating people that treat us so good so bad,” he said in frustration.