BRIDGETOWN, May 21: The Caribbean Community's security committee is working on safety plans for next year's cricket World Cup, which will be held in the region for the first time, an official said on Saturday.

With organisers estimating 100,000 visitors to the region for the tournament, the regional group plans to beef up security measures, said Mia Mottley, head of the security committee and deputy prime minister of Barbados.

Mottley said the challenge of hosting cricket's biggest tournament, which starts in March, was unprecedented.

“We have nine countries coming together to host a single tournament of this magnitude. We have nine parliaments, nine countries. We need common legislature platforms, common immigration, common customs procedures when the tournament gets here,” she told a local radio.

The tournament will bring 16 teams together for matches in Barbados, Jamaica, St Lucia, Trinidad, St Kitts, St Vincent, Grenada, Guyana and Antigua.—AP