TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - Caribbean Tourism Organization

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country’s leaders pervade all levels of public service and the population in general. More than any other issue, this lack of awareness – or reluctance to be aware – is responsible for many of the key limitations that Travel & Tourism faces in Trinidad and Tobago. Overcome the traditional negative perception of Travel & Tourism Historically,Travel & Tourism has been given a bad press in Trinidad and Tobago. Consecutive governments have hailed the success of the energy and agricultural sectors as keys to economic self-sufficiency while, at the same time, highlighting the negative impacts of increased tourism and, in some cases, actively discouraging the population to engage in tourism-related activities. Unfortunately, although the energy sector remains strong, it is not able to create the long-term employment necessary to sustain the economy. Furthermore, the globalization of agricultural commodities has made Caribbean agriculture uncompetitive and, as a result, it has lost market share and output which is reflected in the downturn in Trinidad and Tobago’s agricultural sector. In contrast, Travel & Tourism in Trinidad and Tobago has an enormous competitive advantage – not only within the Caribbean region, but also at a global level – to create new opportunities and employment. However, it requires a fair and level playing field to demonstrate its potential to create self-sufficiency and diversity. The government should recognize this potential and therefore facilitate its development. 32 Identify Travel & Tourism as an export sector It is also time for the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to acknowledge one of the economic facts of life – that Travel & Tourism is an export sector just like agriculture, energy, manufacturing or pharmaceuticals. It is rare for a country to impose taxes on its exports, since resulting price increases disadvantage its products in the global marketplace. Indeed, countries are prone to subsidize exports to gain export market share and/or to tax imports to protect a domestic industry. If a country taxes its own exports, a self-imposed tariff is created, prices are increased and demand naturally declines, thereby limiting development opportunities and job creation. Implement an industrial image campaign While the current government has taken steps to change the negative perception of Travel & Tourism, there is still much work to be done in this regard. Government needs to undertake an industrial image campaign to ensure that all public and private stakeholders recognize Travel & Tourism’s full impact across the national economy – not just on restaurants and other food and beverage outlets, or retail business, but also on construction, real estate, manufacturing, agriculture and other sectors. Even more importantly, stakeholders should be made aware of Travel & Tourism's untapped potential and of the spin-off benefits that filter down through all levels of the community.
Factor Travel & Tourism into mainstream policies Travel & Tourism should be factored into mainstream policies for employment, trade, investment, education and environmental protection. The strategic importance of Travel & Tourism should be communicated to all levels of government, industry and local communities.All government departments affected by, or impacting on, Travel & Tourism development should be closely involved in drawing up tourism policies and in planning and co-ordinating individual programmes. Use Travel & Tourism employees as a voice for the industry Another approach to raising the level of awareness and positive profile of Travel & Tourism is through the large army of Travel & Tourism employees. In many respects, these people should be – indeed must be – ambassadors of Travel & Tourism’s contribution to the broader economy. Unfortunately, there is often a lack of communication between owners/employers and the people who take reservations, make beds, fly aircraft, wait on tables and guide visitors around the islands. It should be noted that these people have a great deal of personal influence within the communities in which they live. If they are helped to understand the basics of Travel & Tourism and how the flow of visitor revenues and spending affects their lives, they can serve as emissaries to the rest of the community to help spread the message that Travel & Tourism is everybody’s business. One important step in this effort is to open the lines of communication between owners/operators and their employees through direct contact or regular dialogue and news bulletins. Not only will this raise awareness, but it will also help galvanize employees into supporting and championing Travel & Tourism within their communities. Focus media attention on industry issues Lastly, Travel & Tourism needs to focus media attention on industry issues.The Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) does a very good job of improving the quality of media coverage on Travel & Tourism issues for the region, largely through educating the media about these issues. It should be supported and encouraged to continue this critical line of awareness building in Trinidad and Tobago. PLAN FOR THE FUTURE Planning and implementation go hand in hand Long-term tourism planning at national level is a prerequisite for generating investor confidence and organizing the successful development of Travel & Tourism in Trinidad and Tobago. However, planning is not sufficient to guarantee the future of the industry. Firm government commitment to plans and their implementation is crucial. It is on this latter point that consecutive governments of Trinidad and Tobago have failed in the past. 33
Page 1 and 2: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO THE IMPACT OF T
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Page 6 and 7: 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE IMPORTANCE
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Page 17 and 18: MAJOR SOURCE MARKETS The USA genera
Page 19 and 20: CARNIVAL Carnival is without doubt
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Page 23 and 24: The Travel & Tourism Satellite Acco
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Page 51: WTTC would like to express its appr

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