The Dr Keith Rowley-led administration will press ahead with its domestic tourism agenda despite efforts by some leading industry stakeholders to scupper the initiative.
Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe made this clear at Friday’s launch of the 2016 edition of the Stay To Get Away campaign held at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, which was jointly undertaken by the Tourism Development Company (TDC) and the Ministry of Tourism.
It appeared, she said, the owners of larger properties involved in previous iterations of the rejuvenated project were not pleased to learn of its expansion to facilitate smaller and lesser-known brands.
The minister, however, did not list names of the property owners and managers opposed to the new structure and expansion of the campaign.
“To all our stakeholders, those who are here, those who couldn’t be here and those who opted not to be here, I say we have to advance this sector together. The private sector must do its work and the Government must diligently play its role as facilitator. The Government, stakeholders and citizens must walk hand in hand. Advancing the tourism agenda is going to take all of us: the big operators, the small operators, the big names, the newcomers and even the underdogs. There is a piece of the pie out there for all of us,” she said.
“And I say that because this year, the TDC was adamant about widening the net so that more operators could benefit from this initiative and I want to commend the members of staff at the TDC for being adamant that we expand. It is very easy in the business for only the big fish to eat and the small fish doesn’t get any of the business.
“This time we were adamant about casting a larger and wider net. They say united we stand, divided we fall. That’s not true for this sector, because when we rise, we rise together and when we fall, we fall together. So as we examine, explore and employ new initiatives to foster growth and development for all, not some, but all of us, let us unite our forces to benefit the industry and to the benefit of each other.”
The first phase of the campaign takes effect August 1-31, during which time participating properties and service providers have agreed to offer reduced rates for their offerings in a deliberate effort to encourage nationals to vacation at home.
They include the T&T Tourist Transport Association, the National Trust of T&T, the Small Tourism Accommodation Owners’ of T&T (STAOTT) and the Public Transport Service Corporation.
The development of the domestic tourism portfolio, said the minister, was as important as the international market.
Increase in staycation appeal
Cudjoe said records showed the “staycation” appeal, which was more common during long holiday weekends, has increased significantly over the years and a direct benefit of that was the greater appreciation and awareness of what the twin-island had to offer.
A 2013 survey conducted by the TDC revealed that 263,300 overnight domestic trips were taken by T&T households over the survey period. The leisure market that includes sports, recreation, cultural activities and visiting friends and relatives accounted for 46 per cent of all domestic trips, while business, conference, conventions and retreats were some of the other reasons for domestic travel.