Tag Archives: Tourism

In 1818, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Trinidad were established under British colonial administration. That same year, Mary Shelley published Frankenstein: the story of a scientist who assembles a living being and then abandons it. Nearly eighty years later, HG Wells wrote The Island of Doctor Moreau, where natural life …

Someone suggested rather irately that I write about how the rich and powerful operate with a different code, with such impunity that they get away with behaviour that is abhorrent to the moral masses. Several people have been raising indignant voices, and the air is vibrating with their vehemence. I …

“[…] Writers from tourism-oriented Caribbean states mainly target free-spending first-worlders seeking sea, sand and stress-free living in preferably sunny climes. “[…] Dr Clarena Spencer has spent much of her adult life as a secondary school teacher and it’s easy to tell from the text. Best Vacation Ever is an educational …

As our Trinidad and Tobago economy has declined consequent upon the steep decline in our foreign exchange earnings, our economists have included tourism and creative arts in their list of potential sources of new foreign exchange earnings. The currently fashionable phrase for economic activity in the creative sector is “the …

“[…] The now-infamous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), exposed thanks to Afra Raymond’s successful legal challenge, showed a lopsided agreement. The state was to fund and build the resort on public land. “In turn, Sandals would enjoy sweeping concessions—tax holidays, duty-free status, unlimited work permits for foreigners, and no obligations to …

I don’t actually mean that we should have a ministry of festivals, in the sense of a state-controlled body—that kind of lumbering oversight has done little to develop anything meaningfully. Not for an entity that has to be agile and innovative and intimate with our history and traditions. Last year, …

From the time I heard the news reports about the 300 cruise-ship passengers being stranded without tour transport in Tobago because the maxi-taxi operators failed to show up, something seemed fishy. The explanation given by presi­dent of the Tobago Maxi Taxi Association Cloyd Williams was that it was a combination …

“[…] The truth is that culture and, moreso, the business of Carnival has lost, both in terms of revenue generation and reputation, over the course of these two missed years. “Our refusal to even so much as  consider hosting a festival this year will only be seen as an opportunity …

“[…] It would verge on the immoral for the ICC and/or CWI to repeat the unfortunate 2007 World Cup experience of setting ticket prices that the local fans simply cannot afford. “Speaking of affordability, CWI also now needs to seriously reconsider the current online pricing of its West Indies team …

Tourism Trinidad formally announced today the appointment of Kurtis Rudd as its new chief executive officer. Rudd, a former Prestige Holdings marketing vice-president, officially started work on Monday 20 September. He replaced acting CEO Heidi Alert, who reverted to her substantive post as manager of destination development. Rudd, a senior lecturer …

Where is Trinidad? Thanks to rapper Nicki Minaj, that question topped the Twittersphere recently. This came about after Minaj tweeted that her cousin’s friend had taken the Covid vaccine and ended up with ‘Swollen Testicles’. Her tweet led our hard-working, super-busy minister of health to admit that he and his …

Destination Trinidad has received the green light to receive tourists, as the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) granted the island its ‘Safe Travels’ stamp—which is meant to indicate that the island is adhering to ‘the highest standards of health and safety’ and ‘global health protocols’.  Trinidad joins its sister …