Most of you would agree
that despite the promotional tactics initiated and undergone by the TDC and its
affiliates, much more can and needs to be done in relation to T&T’s Tourism
industry.
I concur with the opinion that such marketing is
prioritized towards more popular and money making facets of the industry such
as carnival and nightlife. Unfortunately, the eco-tourism and environmental
aspects seem to be overlooked somewhat, where there is a problem in the formulation
and implementation of effective strategies as avidly mentioned in a previous,
most fundamental comment. This person’s passionate views are admired and I’m sure
is shared by other nature, wildlife, eco-tourism and environmental enthusiasts
and activists.
Locals need to appreciate
what their island has to offer in its entirety before we can sell it to
foreigners. Every effort should be made by individuals, families, communities, businesses
and the government to preserve, conserve and promote tourism in T&T. You
all already made some suggestions but how can this be effectively achieved by
each societal group previously mentioned, not only in terms of planning but
more so in successful implementation. What are your thoughts on this?
I have posted a video
below depicting the ever so lovely island of Trinidad in all its magnificent
beauty. Do enjoy!!!!
Timelapsing Through Trinidad from Kevin Huggins on Vimeo.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTourism as we all know is an important pillar in almost every country’s economy. While some countries are really good at promoting themselves, others like our beautiful country of T&T need some serious work.
ReplyDeleteFor example, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” was an is an instant hit. Las Vegas will never find something better to replace that tagline which to me helps a lot when they do there mass commercial/broad advertising.
Maybe the Government Sector (Tourism Development Corporation - TDC) should look at using a "TAGLINE" in there advertising campaigns.
Also, seeing that "SOCIAL MEDIA" gets a lot of attention, I think it is a great avenue to try.
It actually surprises me that the Tourism Board in our country (T&T) is taking so long to try out social media. I am sure those countries who are already on it are most likely seeing very impressive results!
I have to agree with the "social media" point. Trinidad and Tobago will see a massive increase in the amount of money that is made from tourism after we start to take advantage of social media like Facebook.
ReplyDeleteThese days almost everyone you know has a Facebook profile and many pages. If the TDC created a profile for T&T they can easily increase the amount of tourists that visit the islands a year. There is no limit to how much can be put on the page so every day they can upload pictures, videos and our music.
A perfect example is the time laps video of Trinidad, that video was simply amazing, it showed off so much of Trinidad's beauty and some of its culture. But the best part was the the last clip, looking at the stars. I have never seen that before and I was blown away and if more people were to see this video and others like it the we will see a rise in tourism.
T&T are two of the most beautiful islands in the world in my opinion, but they are basically hiding its beauty form the world. There are so many things that make T&T unique but we do not advertise it, so most of the world will not see.
Not only that, but it will make ever Trinbago person extremely proud of there twin islands. This will help encourage them to take even better care of the islands. We are proud about beautiful islands and we celebrate the smallest of achievements.
ReplyDeleteI think 2 of the most talked about was when the popular TV series Suits mentioned "Trinidad Tobago" 3 times in the first ep of season 3. This and when Bunji Garlin song differentology was used as the first song to open a next popular television show Grey's Anatomy.
This was a big deal for most Trinbago people. So if we continue to get exposure like this every 1 will know Trinidad and Tobago.
Most Trinbagoians don't know about our own "tourist attractions". Persons come from all over the world to see what we take for granted everyday. More information about our country and what makes it special should be taught in our schools so that we will not only appreciate what we have, but we would be equipped to protect and promote it.
ReplyDeleteThat's just it, we don't really appreciate what we have, look at the condition of our beaches and rivers. There is garbage and plastic bottles all over some of them. We have clean up efforts to help restore them back to there original beauty, but the thing is we should not have to even do that in the first place. No one will want to come here if they see this is how we have some of our attractions.
ReplyDeleteThat is the thing, T&T are so beautiful but we don't treat it like this at all. A perfect example is when entering P.O.S by the lighthouse, when it is low tide instead of seeing sand on the beach all you see is slush and garbage. This has to be addressed instead of pushing it aside, it will benefit the locals even more.
ReplyDeletePapa Bois Conservation, Asa Wright Nature Centre & Lodge Wildlife Sanctuary and Island Hikers Club are all a part of the social media site, Facebook, amongst many more I'm sure. I check these sites daily to find out what's going on in environmental news and also follow up on hike locations (although i rarely go to any, shame on me). So, I feel that there are persons in our population that share a deep passion for nature. They promote their journeys and opinions through the social media platform, so to me the social media network is being utilized, by those interested persons, to educate and highlight the beauties of nature and also to highlight the destruction of it by its human inhabitants.
ReplyDeleteBut, only that much can be done through the use of social media and the many reports of injustice against mother nature. I firmly believe that we need more vociferous environmental activists, for example, Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh to fight for nature. The weekend of the 8th - 10th August 2014, first time flood waters in excess of 5ft in height was recorded on the Debe Main Road, Debe. While the good doctor came under nationwide attack for his protests, I personally understood his grounds for protest. And, in light of his professional views as an environmentalist, it was proven that those floods were caused by our drive for "change" at the expense of nature.
In my opinion:
- We live in an age where i think social media promotion is being utilized as much as it can by individuals to promote the good and bad side of our eco-systems.
- The solution lies in getting charismatic, trustworthy, passionate people to lead and revolutionize all aspects of the tourism sector in T&T and not just make a business out of it.
- Emphasis NEEDS to be placed on those companies / industries that cause pollution on large scales and subsequently cause irreversible destruction to our eco-system.
- Lastly, I believe that the EMA's role is non-existent in our twin isle with regards to proper monitoring and management of our natural resources. They NEED to get their act together and actively work alongside their partner agencies / divisions, such as Forestry Division, to help in preserving and promoting our local flora, fauna and wildlife. They can achieve many things through the aid of social media alongside the mass media.
I got to say your comment was a very interesting little read and I agree with most of your points. It's been well over 2 years since my last hike, an with regards to social media I think they can always add on and improve more, but that is just my view I don't know how easy or hard it is for them to actually that.
ReplyDeleteI am not going to lie but I did forget about Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh for a bit until you reminded me of it. I think this county has need for a lot more changes, but hopefully this time they listen to the issues of the people it might affect and equally as important the environmental impact of what ever it is they plan on doing.
When the first section of the flyover was completed they made such a big deal about it (did not really see anything wrong in that) but my issue was they sprayed so much red, white and black confetti into the air that some reached all the way up to San Juan. All I could think was "Do they not know that they are littering? An they expect people to take care of there country when the government made no attempt to clean up their mess."
Lack of individual intelligence I see it as. You can't expect to be part of the problem but yet cry shame on everyone else that is also a part of the problem. As Mr. David mentioned in a previous blog post, it all begins at home!!! That very sentence defines what is wrong in society.
DeleteI went Maracas over the weekend, there were beer bottles on the shore. Some fools dug a hole in the sands to throw their rubbish.
ReplyDeleteThis is our locals towards the eco environs in T&T.
Gov't shows no hope only towards construction of concrete. Look at the 7billion dollar highway, no respect for the eco-environ
Trinidad and Tobago's nature reserves such as, the Caroni Swamp are great eco and learning centres but; Alas they are under valued. The preservation of our eco-spots and respect for wildlife needs, to be foremost on our agenda as we develop eco tourism. The simple act of using trash bags on an outing and proper disposal of cigarettes at the beach can go a long way, to preserving out most valuable resource.
ReplyDelete