Chin Lee: Tobago scores big in int’l travel market

This was revealed yesterday by Tourism Minister Howard Chin Lee at a post-Cabinet press conference at Whitehall. Chin Lee, who led a 115-member delegation to the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, said that while there he held talks with several airlines — including Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, and Martin Air — to increase the airlifts to Trinidad and Tobago for the 2006/2007 season. He said an announcement would soon be made and that he was sure that there would be increased seating capacity to Tobago.

Chin Lee, who had just returned from London, revealed that Tobago had received several international awards. The island’s MainRidge Rainforest emerged as the world leading eco-tourism destination. The Coco Reef Resort and Spa was judged Tobago’s leading resort; La Gran Courlan, the leading spa resort; Hilton Tobago Golf Resort, the leading golf resort; Stone Haven Villa, the top villa and Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, Trinidad’s leading hotel. Chin Lee said the Trinidad and Tobago booth at the WTM was the most visited in the Latin American and Caribbean pavilion. He said many investors had expressed an interest in getting involved in the hotel industry.

Chin Lee also spoke of an increase in the number of tours coming to Tobago. He said tour operators such as Virgin Holidays, BA Holidays, Tropical Sky, Thomas Cooke and Last Minute Dot Com all indicated that they would be increasing the number of tours to Tobago.

He said Trinidad and Tobago’s success in football would catapult this country onto the world stage. He said he was meeting FIFA vice president Jack Warner and other stakeholders today at the ministry to "synergise" the country’s marketing efforts.