Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary of Tourism and Transportation, Assemblyman Tracy Davidson-Celestine, met with the Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Chandresh Sharma at her Scarborough office on October 14, 2013.

Davidson-Celestine congratulated the Minister on his appointment and expressed her desire to continue the dialogue that had taken place between her office and that of the former Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Stephen Cadiz.

Emphasizing the importance of the relationship between the Division of Tourism and Transportation and the Ministry, as well as the Tourism Development Company (TDC), the Secretary reinforced her commitment to working alongside these organizations to continue to develop Tobago’s tourism industry.

The Minister shared the Secretary’s sentiments, giving the assurance that moving forward there will be joint representation by both the Ministry and the Division.

The policy-makers also seized the opportunity to discuss several matters high on the tourism agenda, including the upgrade of the A. N. R. Robinson International airport; Tobago House of Assembly representation on the TDC Board; the need to seek greater collaboration with Caribbean Airlines to ensure the effective scheduling of domestic flights, as well as additional route development for the destination.

The most pressing matter on the agenda however, was Trinidad and Tobago’s presence at the World Travel Market (WTM), which takes place in London, United Kingdom from November 4-7.

WTM is one of the largest international travel and tourism trade shows in the world and the UK market remains one of Tobago’s largest source market. The delegation’s presentation at this event is crucial to maintaining Tobago’s visibility in the UK.

A joint task-force has been assigned to ensure a unified approach between the Division of Tourism and Transportation and the Ministry of Tourism and TDC. Meetings have already been scheduled with tourism officials and stakeholders to ensure the success of this mission.