The Ministry of Tourism is establishing a working committee to transform Port-of-Spain into a safe and secure tourist destination. Tourism Minister Dr Rupert Griffith said this during a news conference at his office in Port-of-Spain on Friday.
The briefing took place after Griffith met with Port-of-Spain mayor Louis Lee Sing, president of the Tourism Development Company (TDC) Ernest Littles and president of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association Doma) Gregory Aboud. It was held to discuss issues hindering tourism within the city and to find solutions to those problems.
Griffith said the parties agreed to establish a working committee comprising key stakeholders in the city and in the tourism industry. He said: "The committee will work assiduously to see what we can do with immediate effect in terms of the overall improvement of Port-of-Spain and its environs."
Griffith said the committee would be established in two weeks. He said a major issue hindering tourism in the city was crime which acted as deterrent for both locals and foreigners. Aboud, commenting on the crime situation, said: "Our security record stinks. It has run foreigners and destroyed an important resource.
"The tourism product of T&T has been severely damaged by the security failings of country. Tourism needs a secure product." Littles said the TDC recently held a workshop, titled "Tourism Oriented Police and Security Services," aimed at training members of the police service to treat with tourism safety.
Littles said the TDC also planned to increase security patrols on the nation's beaches and at other tourist destinations. Griffith said the ministry was working with the National Security Ministry to ensure tourists and locals felt comfortable within the city.