Trinidad and Tobago aims to boost regional tourism

Published on : Monday, December 30, 2013

In an effort to boost regional tourism, the Tourism Development Company Limited of Trinidad and Tobago has taken a tourism mission to the Dutch territories.
The mission is aimed at increasing tourist arrivals and attracting approximately 2,800 regional visitors in the coming months.
The trade mission, which kicked off on Dec 11, in Curacao, and concluded in Aruba on Dec 20, was designed to capitalise on new charter services to this country and arrest the decline in tourist arrivals from the region.
Some of the major activities undertaken by the TDC’s two-member delegation included a trade show with members of the Dutch Caribbean’s travel trade and tour operators, a business forum targeting members of the business sector, sales calls and presentations to travel agencies on Trinidad and Tobago’s culture, cuisine, convention services and sport tourism facilities.
The delegation also met with six key media houses in Curacao and Aruba as part of a strategy to speak directly with potential visitors.
Acting chief executive officer of the TDC, Yolande Selman, said it is incumbent on the TDC to capitalise on the opportunity presented by the launch of the new charter services to Curacao and Aruba by Estellair, Just Go tours and Amral’s Travel.
“The TDC’s role is to ensure the return leg of these charter services from Curacao and Aruba are filled to capacity. To this end the TDC has partnered with the charter companies and we are acting expeditiously to engage an aggressive programme of promotions in preparation for the upcoming Carnival and Easter vacation period,” Selman explained.
“It is expected,” she added, “that the promotions which are already well underway will put us ahead of the game and bear fruit well into 2015.”