Chin Lee promises new tourism laws

TOURISM MINISTER Howard Chin Lee revealed that he intended to bring legislation to Parliament in September which would improve aspects of the Tourism Development Act 2000, in keeping with Government’s new thrust to market Trinidad and Tobago to the wider world. Chin Lee told Newsday yesterday the proposed amendments would allow hoteliers and other tourism stakeholders greater opportunities to help them improve TT’s brand recognition throughout the world. Addressing Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall, Chin Lee disclosed that his Ministry has requested a larger allocation in the upcoming 2004/2005 Budget. Government sources informed Newsday that within this proposed allocation was a request for $100 million to be used solely for marketing purposes. “In order to brand TT, it’s a far more expensive exercise than we think and therefore an increased budget is necessary,” the minister explained.

Chin Lee said the new Tourism Development Corporation’s (which will replace the Tourism Industrial Development Company or TIDCO) core responsibilities “will be fine-tuned to focus directly on the tourism industry. It will no longer have the element of trade and industry as we knew it. It will focus its full attention of marketing TT to its source destination by using effectively and efficiently its advertising agencies, public relations agencies, its overseas representation in Canada, UK, US and German-speaking Europe.” The Minister said the new company would access some of the $300 million allocated in Government’s three-year rolling plan for tourism “as part of our new marketing thrust.” He also indicated that Government would ensure that “persons that use Government funds to travel in this organisation, that the money is well spent, there is a fair amount of return in the form marketing, benefits to the country. All of that are under review,” Chin Lee said.