Minister of Trade, Investment and Tourism, Satyakama Maharaj says Trinidad and Tobago is removing barriers to attract high-value visitors and grow tourism-linked industries.
Speaking at the media launch of Amalgamation – The Caribbean’s Greatest Night of Dance, he highlighted the country’s strategic location below the hurricane belt.
He revealed that Government has dramatically reduced yacht clearance times, making the destination more attractive to international yacht owners and crews.
“We’ve got 500 yachts coming in a year, and we’re below the hurricane belt. You can’t get insurance, you bring your yacht here. But they make it so hard, taking an average of four hours for a yacht to come in. You’ll be pleased to know we have reduced that process to 15 minutes.”
He said the focus is not simply on increasing visitor numbers, but on attracting high-spending visitors who can inject money into the wider economy.
“You know when those yachties come in, what they have? They have money. So we’re not looking at volume, we’re looking at quality and attracting people who are high value and who spend money. So we’re looking at that kind of avenue, and you bring them in here.”