Find Tourism and Travel partners in Trinidad and Tobago
- Overview
- Investment
Overview
The travel and tourism sector in Trinidad and Tobago contributed around 7.0% of the country’s GDP (2011), with this figure set to rise by 3.7% in 2012 according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). In 2011 the country was ranked 116th in relation to relative contribution of tourism to GDP, 7% below the world average. In 2009 Trinidad and Tobago received 419,000 tourists. Travel and tourism accounts for 9.3% of total employment, with approximately 56,000 jobs being generated either directly or indirectly by the sector (2011). The WTTC estimated that in 2011 visitor exports made up 3.4% of all exports from Trinidad and Tobago.
Investment
The government views tourism as one of several viable paths to economic diversification and tourism forms part of the country’s long-term development plan, Vision 2020. The Tourism Development Company Ltd, a state enterprise, is mandated to develop and market Trinidad and Tobago’s tourism product and improve the local tourism sector. Its main target markets are North and South America, the UK, Germany and the Caribbean. It is a forward thinking body whose focus is on sustainable tourism, which the government hopes will open up entrepreneurial opportunities for underrepresented groups in the business world such as those in rural communities, women and young people. Tourist attractions in Trinidad and Tobago are varied, ranging from exploring the islands’ colonial history, seeing wildlife including birds and leatherback turtles and taking part in the vibrant party atmosphere of the carnivals. Given the biodiversity on the islands, ecotourism has scope for investment as it becomes more fashionable amongst travellers.
In 2011 investment in the travel and tourism sector was TTD1,162.8mn, constituting 10.2% of total investment. This was expected to rise by 3.3% in 2012, and then continue to rise by 4.0% pa over the following ten years, reaching TTD1,777.1mn by 2022.