Tourism
From The Report: Trinidad & Tobago 2018
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T&T remains one of the least developed destinations in the Caribbean. Although tourism has not historically been a priority for the government, increased pressure to diversify away from oil and gas has made tourism a viable development alternative. Higher oil prices in 2018 could provide the country with much-needed revenues to amplify diversification efforts. Meanwhile, ongoing efforts to expand source markets and establish a policy framework and regulatory authority bode well for the sector, especially as global tourism is set to continue rising over the next decade. With a unique and diverse cultural heritage and strategic setting outside of the hurricane belt, T&T has the opportunity to move its tourism offerings forward.

This chapter features an interview with Janelle Commissiong, Chairman, Tourism Trinidad Destination Management Company.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Diverse offerings: Industry growth projections remain strong, despite challenges
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The Caribbean region has been a hotspot for global tourism since the 1920s, with over 100,000 people visiting the region in the year before the start of the Second World War. Throughout the 20th century Trinidad and Tobago has traditionally relied on hydrocarbons revenues as the primary source of economic growth; however, declining oil prices in the mid-1990s and mid2010s prompted authorities to only recently begin promoting tourism as a means of economic diversification. Therefore, unlike…

Analysis

Eye on the ball: Lucrative sports segment promotes overall economic growth
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Sports tourism has been identified by both the current and previous governments as a potentially lucrative niche market in which Trinidad & Tobago has a distinct competitive advantage. In addition to already regularly hosting an array of athletic activities, including golf, yachting, boating, cricket, horse racing, powerboat racing, tennis, cycling and football, T&T, especially Trinidad, features a robust network of sports infrastructure with significant capacity. The segment’s…

Analysis

All aboard: Moves to capitalise on sudden influx of cruise passengers
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Aided by the country’s natural resources, a strategic geographic location outside the hurricane belt and growing global cruise demand, Trinidad and Tobago’s cruise segment is set gain new importance in coming years. Popular cruise destinations in the Caribbean, including the Bahamas, Dominica, the British Virgin Islands and Sint Maarten suffered the worst effects of Hurricane Maria and Irma in September 2017, which caused an estimated $6bn in damages to key transport, tourism and port…

Interview

A lot to offer: Janelle Commissiong, Chairman, Tourism Trinidad Destination Management Company, on promoting strategic segments and developing niche markets
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Interview:Janelle Commissiong How will tourism promotion efforts work towards showcasing each island’s product offering? JANELLE COMMISSIONG: Each island will benefit from the development and marketing of its particular niche markets. Currently, there are around 391,000 foreign arrivals per year in Trinidad and 19,000 in Tobago. With improved sea and air traffic services it will become easier to sample the benefits of both islands at a marginal cost. Furthermore, through the canvassing…