TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
TOURISM CORNER
International and Local Tourism Stakeholders Meet at Tourism Symposium In a continued drive to attract more visitors to Trinidad and Tobago, the Tourism Development Company Limited (TDC) welcomed representatives from some of the biggest names in the international travel industry from October 09-14, as part of a Symposium for Tour Operators and Online Travel Agents (OTAs) from the United States and the United Kingdom. The programme started in Tobago from October 09-11, and continued in Trinidad from October 11-14. Delegates represented international companies such as Expedia, Booking.com, Regatta Travel Solutions, TripAdvisor, Mot Mot Travel and Reef and Rainforest Tours. In all, a total of 17 tour operators were on hand - 12 from the US and 5 from the UK - to network and negotiate with local tourism stakeholders. Designed to attract key leisure and niche tour operators, the Symposium provided a forum for the OTAs to meet and develop relationships with local tourism service providers in hospitality, transportation and tour operating. The travel company representatives also took the opportunity to visit hotels on both islands, as well as some of the exciting sites and attractions so that they could create and enhance their T&T travel packages. The Symposium was also expected to achieve the following objectives: •
Strengthen the capacity of local hotels, tour operators and Destination Management Companies (DMCs) to become more competitive in the international travel market.
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Increase the number of hotels and tours/activities sold by these travel companies.
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Facilitate ongoing discussions and create a platform for the development of new partnerships.
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Match niche tour operators with specific hotels and DMCs from Trinidad & Tobago, so that travel packages being offered to international consumers are in line with the destination’s product offerings.
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Raise the profile of the destination to international tour operators, OTAs and consumers.
Tourism Development Company Limited Level 1, Maritime Centre # 29 Tenth Avenue, Barataria Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Tel: (868) 675 7034-7 • Fax: (868) 675-8851 Email : info@tdc.co.tt • Website: www.tdc.co.tt Facebook: Tourism Development Company Limited Islands of Trinidad and Tobago
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