Chin Lee promises to revamp Tourism Act

In his first official address as the new Minister of Tourism, Howard Chin Lee yesterday announced his intention to target the passage of an amended Tourism Development Act 2000, which would outline a number of tourism investment incentives as one of the Ministry’s primary objectives for 2004.

Chin Lee was speaking at the Ministry of Tourism’s second annual awards, held at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre. Admitting that the tourism industry had never been strategically positioned as one of TT’s growth engines, leaving much of its growth potential still relatively untapped, he revealed Government’s intention to treat the industry as a pivotal engine in its drive for national development. “The Ministry,” he stated, “has a role to play in guiding the development and effective management of the tourism industry through the establishment of tourism policy and the provision of necessary incentives.” He asserted that an enabling investment climate was critical to tourism development, and, as a result, he intended to ensure that every stakeholder in the tourism industry was part of the consultative process for the revision of the Tourism Development Act. The Caribbean region, Chin Lee maintained, is the most tourism dependent region in the world, with approximately 50 percent of the population engaged in tourism or tourism-related activities.

Although the tourism sector contributes a mere two percent to Trinidad and Tobago’s GDP, he continued, it is still Tobago’s largest industry and a significant employer of people.  At present, the local industry’s economic contribution amounts to approximately $1.3 million per year, providing 44,760 jobs, 10,460 of which are directly related to tourism. Globally, the tourism industry is expected to earn approximately $4.5 billion by the end of 2003, creating some 68 million jobs worldwide. Chin Lee called on the Tourism and Industrial Development Company (TIDCO) to focus on the marketing and promotion of destination TT, aggressively engaging in product development and carving out a niche for the country as a world-class tourist destination. He revealed that since his inauguration into the Ministry, he had held numerous talks with various industry stakeholders as part of his approach to foster partnerships between the public and private sector. “The Ministry,” he stated, “intends to work hand in hand with TIDCO, the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) and all other stakeholders to ensure the growth of tourism in both islands. In this way, we can collectively deliver a tourism product that is internationally competitive without losing our distinct character, identity and value systems.”

The 2003 National Tourism Celebrations were held from October 4 to November 4, 2003, with an aim to foster awareness of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. The celebrations included a number of activities, namely essay, poetry and parang competitions and a television quiz. Hillview College student, David Norville, walked away with the first place prize of $1,500 courtesy the Ministry of Tourism, $500 worth of Units from the Unit Trust Corporation (UTC), Sunday Brunch from the Hilton Hotel and the William Aguiton Challenge Trophy, winning Best Essay and highest marks in the essay competition. The Crowne Plaza Hotel, PoS, was voted the number one large hotel in Trinidad according to a customer service satisfaction survey conducted by the Ministry of Tourism.