Griffith wants aggressive tourism development plan

Trinidad and Tobago's new tourism minister wants to open a dialogue on how best to make the industry achieve its full potential.

Dr Rupert Griffith made the point in Port of Spain Tuesday when he addressed stakeholders.

Griffith suggested that both the public and private sectors must work together and promised that he will ask cabinet to approve a plan for an official Trinidad Tourism Standing Committee, comprising public and private sector personnel.

The committee, he said, would guide the development of the local industry.

Griffith also announced that he and his junior minister, Dr Delmon Dexter Baker, MP for Tobago West, would meet next week with the Chief Secretary and other senior executives of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

He said the aim of those talks will be to strengthen the relationship between the THA and the ministry at the policy making level. Griffith said that would help the development and growth of tourism in Tobago in a manner "that is consistent with the objectives of the THA and in sync with national policy for the sector."

Griffith added that he will undertake a review of the National Tourism Policy as a first step to develop and implement the national tourism sector strategy.

“The goal of the strategy is, amongst others, to inspire and drive the responsible growth of the tourism industry...T&T must no longer be the best kept secret of the Caribbean," he said.

“It is crucial that our marketing efforts are focused on the right markets, and that can only be done on the basis of sound and timely empirical data. Alongside marketing efforts, the challenge for our industry is to have sites and attractions of an international standard on par with the best in the world," Griffith added.

He said this means that it is "absolutely imperative that facilities are properly maintained. Therefore the TDC must have a Product Development Plan."