TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - Caribbean Tourism Organization

industry, or deal only with its smaller components.This
TSA research, developed by WTTC and OEF for
Trinidad and Tobago, provides a significant tool for
planning and policy development. Updating the TSA
on an annual basis will help to ensure that adequate
data is available to factor Travel & Tourism into
economic and employment strategies. It will also
provide the TDC with hard economic data on which
to base decisions regarding marketing and promotions.
This in turn will help raise awareness among public and
private sector stakeholders of Travel & Tourism’s full
impact across the national economy – not just on
hotels, restaurants and retail business, but also on
construction, real estate, agriculture and other sectors.
TOURISM PLANNING &
IMPLEMENTATION
The Tourism Master Plan, written in
1994, is a comprehensive document. It
should now be updated, incorporating
the recommendations from the Vision
2020 Tourism Sub-committee.
Past plans have floundered at the implementation stage
due to lack of political will, and it is vital that any new
plan is adopted as an Act of Parliament to ensure its
implementation on a long-term basis. It is also
important that a cohesive and co-operative approach to
longer-term planning is adopted, involving all levels of
government, local authorities and the private sector.
The newly formed TDC should be given a strong and
clear mandate to carry forward plans and make
decisions.
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
The successful growth of Travel &
Tourism in Trinidad and Tobago will be
highly dependent on the natural, social
and cultural environments that surround
it. In many instances, the natural
environment is a central feature of the
islands’ tourism product.
Furthermore, the full potential of Travel & Tourism as
an agent for economic growth will only be realized if
its benefits flow through all levels of society and
linkages between different sectors and local producers
are maximized. Environmental management and
tourism development plans must be integrated and
mutually supportive, and local community engagement
is imperative if the full benefits of the industry are to
be reaped.
HUMAN RESOURCES
In Trinidad and Tobago, the Travel &
Tourism industry accounts for 5.8 per
cent of the country’s workforce. In
Tobago, it represents 56.8 per cent of the
island’s employment.
However, Travel & Tourism is seen as a ‘last resort’
industry in which to work. The Ministry of Tourism
should set in motion a concerted campaign, in
partnership with the private sector, other ministries and
training institutions, to raise the profile of the sector as
a serious and desirable employment and career option.
Training institutions and employers should work
together to ensure that the supply of tourism employees
meets employers’ expectations, and vice versa. In
addition, government should support the industry in
bringing compensation in line with that in other
sectors. Moreover, if Travel & Tourism is to become a
valued and valuable employment and career option,
qualified workers must be supported, encouraged and
promoted.
INFRASTRUCTURE &
INVESTMENT
The Travel & Tourism infrastructure in
Trinidad and Tobago is barely able to
serve current demand and could severely
restrict growth.
The most pressing issue is the lack of quality
accommodation stock, particularly in Port of Spain.
Although the climate for investors is generally
favourable, there are still considerable bureaucratic
constraints to be addressed.WTTC recommends that a
one-stop shop for tourism investors be established and
that care should be taken to ensure that fiscal policies
such as taxation are not harmful to investment.
AIR ACCESS
Airlift is critical to the existence of
Trinidad and Tobago’s tourism industry.
Although BWIA West Indies Airways is
locally owned, the majority of tourist
traffic that comes into the country travels
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