[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11431]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               U.S. MUST CONSIDER ITS ISLAND TERRITORIES

  (Ms. PLASKETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, several weeks ago the President announced 
resumption of diplomatic relations with Cuba.
  While we celebrate the implications of a renewed relationship both 
for Cuban and American citizens, the citizens of my own home district 
do so with guarded welcome.
  Mr. Speaker, the U.S. territories of the Virgin Islands and Puerto 
Rico and our geographic proximity to Cuba makes us a direct economic 
competitor. All indicators point to massive growth in Cuba's tourism 
industry.
  While the U.S. Virgin Islands continues to be a premier tourist 
destination particularly for Americans, with more than 2.7 million 
tourists in 2014 alone, Cuba is shaping to be a formidable competitor.
  Prior to resumption of relations, a report from the Caribbean Tourism 
Organization showed just over 3 million visitors to Cuba in 2014 
compared to 2.7 for the Virgin Islands and 3 million in Puerto Rico.
  However, in the first quarter of 2015, the Cuban Government has 
already reported more than 1.4 million tourist visits, a number that 
more than doubles the amount reported for the Virgin Islands and Puerto 
Rico during this same time.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States must consider its own island 
territories of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in the 
advancement of diplomatic relations with Cuba. Investments must come to 
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
  I wish all of our French citizens a happy Bastille Day.

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