Chin Lee optimistic about ‘Brand TT’

Chin Lee said, "Our Honourable Prime Minister, in his 2005/2006 Budget speech, demonstrated the Government’s commitment even further (to the development of tourism) by allocating $77 million to the marketing and promotion of ‘Brand TT,’ an increase of some 73 percent over last year’s budgetary allocation."

Chin Lee was addressing a breakfast meeting of the Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Association at the Hilton Trinidad yesterday.

The meeting was held in honour of the dual visits of Bertia Parle, Caribbean Hotel Association president, and the association’s chief executive officer Alec Sanguinetti.

In his address, Chin Lee also highlighted the plight of BWIA, saying that in addition to the $77 million for marketing, the Government had also allocated $250 million to support the airline’s restructuring process, a move which he claimed was "an important decision, as without airlift we cannot hope to meet our targets for the expansion of our industry."

The minister stated that TT had an enormous opportunity to become a major player in the region’s tourism industry, and was sure to distinguish between the separate attractions of the two islands.

He said, "Whilst Tobago will market itself as a ‘clean, green and serene’ destination, offering all the charm and beauty expected of a typical Caribbean island, Trinidad has an opportunity to build upon its diverse and vibrant society to become the meeting place of the southern Caribbean."

He admitted that the tourism industry had experienced some setbacks in recent times, but was quick to comment on its adaptability.

He commented, "Tourism is a remarkably resilient industry and despite the shocks which left their mark upon our industry between 2001 and 2003, with terrorist attacks, resultant poor economies and compounded by the SARS epidemic, the long-term prospects for continued growth in arrivals appear good. Clearly these shocks, while serious, merely delayed trips and consumers are now releasing that pent-up demand and this is reflected in the strong performance of the past 18 months."