Soyini Grey
Movietowne chairman Derek Chin says he is fully supportive of plans to revitalise east Port-of-Spain.
Chin’s initial critique of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s announcement of the Spotlight Initiative on the Rejuvenation of the City Project was headlined in another newspaper as a “pipe dream”. But Chin says his concern is that development is not pretty buildings.
Speaking to Guardian Media via zoom, from his MovieTowne boardroom, Chin made reference to his own “Cities of the World” proposal. He said the developers of the city need to thinking about turning a visit to Port-of-Spain into an attraction.
“Just like every country, and every city have things they are known for, Orlando is known for Disney. San Antonio is known for its riverwalk, Bourbon Street in New Orleans and so on.”
He said Port-of-Spain need to offer people a reason to visit outside of business and shopping.
He says his Cities of the World proposal was meant to do that for his MovieTowne Port-of-Spain location. It would have created a place for people to visit the capital city, and had the potential to offer Trinidad and Tobago another major location or event for tourists.
While he said he no longer has the energy to push his proposal, he is happy that the Prime Minister’s announcement has people talking about the re-development of the capital city.