A Caribbean White Christmas

There is no shortage of snow in Quebec

The Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is going to have its first white Christmas courtesy of Canada.

People on the tropical island will be able to build snowmen and throw snowballs - but at a price.

A businessman is shipping 300 tonnes of snow in from Canada and is planning to charge families $30 to have festive time inside a refrigerated events hall.

"It's going to be like a dream for these people - to see real snow," entrepreneur Luis Guzman said.

Mr Guzman, whose promotion company books circuses and figure skating shows, is spending $200,000 to import the snow from Fermont near Labrador city in Quebec.

Pay for the Privilege

The locals in Fermont - which will never run short on snow - find it difficult to believe people will pay to see snow.

"I can't believe somebody would want our snow," said Mayor Robin Belanger.

Temperatures in San Juan are a sticky 31c

But Mr Guzman says snow is big business in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan.

"Everyone hears so much about the whole American winter, the Christmas carols, the snow, Santa Claus coming down the chimney," he said.

"It's a beautiful tradition, and I think the people here want to share in it."

In Fermont, workers used snow blowers to fill freezer trucks before it was driven to a port in St. John, New Brunswick.

Ships carried the snow about 3,218km (2,000 miles) south to Puerto Rico on board a cargo ship.

Temperatures in Fermont were a chilly 15 degrees (-9c) this week.

In Puerto Rico it was a sticky 88 degrees (31C)