Trinidad & Tobago's Canadian rep, Reggie Kieda with the Consulate General Dr. Vidhya Gyan Tota-Maharaj
Magdalena Grand's G.M. Howard Spittle; Reggie Kieda & Martin Jeffery
Shelley-Ann De Gazon, Sr. Marketing Specialist, Trinidad & Tobago Tourism Development Company with Gloria Jones-Knapp, Owner, Bacolet Beach Club
Vera Mayhew, Destination Weddings with Jennifer Sampedro, Total Vacations
Louise Williams, CWT; Ryhan Rayman, Roraima Travel; Vera Mayhew, CWT; Robert Lachapelle, Merit; Syed Rayman, Roraima Travel
Trinidad and Tobago reps were at it again. This time with an overbooked event at Toronto’s Novotel Hotel that attracted more than 65 agents. Why so much presence in the Canadian market lately?
According to Trinidadian, Rawle Borel Jr. of TPI, his homeland never saw a need for tourism because oil was the primary economic driver. “But people are more eco-conscious these days and all about clean energy. I think there’s a foresight that maybe they can’t rely on oil forever – like Dubai and Qatar,” he said. Borel has noticed a more prominent push for tourism within the last 5 years. “Tourism was never much of a priority, but now there are a significant number of product offerings.”
Interestingly enough, the destination receives more European visitors than Canadians. “Canadians are not aware of what Tobago has to offer, there’s a certain ignorance,” said Dr. Vidhya Gyan Tota-Maharaj, the Consulate General of Trinidad and Tobago. “We’re hoping to increase awareness.”
Gloria Jones-Knapp, owner of Bacolet Beach Club, thinks that the limited airlift may be the reason why Canadians seem discouraged to visit the island. Caribbean Airlines and WestJet offer daily service to POS and a 20 minute domestic flight operated by Caribbean Airlines completes the trip to TAB. However, connections are a breeze and the inter-island flights run every 1/2 hr.
“Tobago is like a rare jewel. It’s a true Caribbean island – not overpopulated, there are few hotels and you don’t holiday with the whole village,” said Jones-Knapp. “There’s a niche here – a need for people to get away from the crowds.”
Serious R & R is just part of the destination’s appeal. The islands boast many other attractions that cannot be found anywhere else. Tobago is home to the largest protected rainforest in the western hemisphere and the largest coral reef in the Caribbean. It’s also known as the Land of Festivals. Trinidad hosts the largest Divali Festival outside of India; its Carnival attracts over 3 million participants each year; and where else can one find Goat and Crab Racing? (Yes, you read that correctly… the racing of goats and crabs.)
For firsthand experience, Reggie Kieda and her team, Trinidad and Tobago’s Canadian reps, are organizing a 1 week FAM departing 17AUG. For more information, contact Martin Jeffery of Trinidad & Tobago Tourism at mjeffery3@me.com.
