There is need for more teamwork and better co-ordination in the tourism sector to achieve sustainability says Keith Chin, chief executive officer at the Tourism Development Company (TDC). He was speaking about this country’s desire to establish more nature trails as part of an eco-tourism drive. The T&T Incoming Tour Operators Association (TTITOA) is the project leader and reportedly brought a wealth of experience to this initiative.
Chin believes the project has cultural and economic wealth as routes appeal to a variety of users such as overnight visitors who see this as part of their special interest holiday, as well as staying visitors that frequent the route on day excursions, or urban domestic visitors. Developing this market, he said, will contribute to the protection and strengthening of the identity and unique heritage of the destination, whilst ensuring the survival of the destination and tourism enterprises in the global marketplace.
“The rapid development of tourism worldwide has led an increasing number of developing countries to exploit natural and cultural assets that have tourism potential, such as warm climate, cultural wealth and biodiversity. Tourism creates significant opportunities to develop infrastructure, create employment, promote local circular flow of income, preserve natural resources and culture and aid in poverty alleviation,” he said.
“The natural richness and cultural diversity found in many countries and region is unique and different and provides major unique selling propositions for developing and emerging countries, which set them apart from competing tourism destinations.”
In the past two decades, he said, tourism routes have mushroomed all over the world, in particular in the developed world. This trend, said the TDC official, emerged because new terrain offers important product and development opportunities in a market where there is a shift away from standardised mass tourism to more individualistic patterns, where the increasing need of visitors to experience new things and have a more meaningful experience has gained prominence.
“The TDC is mandated to develop and market T&T’s tourism product and improve the local tourism sector. The trails project which we have officially launched affords us the opportunity especially in peripheral regions to contribute to the creation of or development of the basic tourism product offering coupled with a nature and cultural product that can only be experiences at the destination,” Chin said.