Partnerships Help Expand Development
Attracting key partnerships is a key priority for the Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation.
Tourism Secretary Tashia Burris said that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) enabled Tobago to successfully host the 53rd Annual General Assembly, and the Caribbean Media Awards, in August.
“Coming out of that partnership, two regional [media] companies, Mersus Consulting and TELEISLAS, will return to Tobago to film content as part of marketing destination Tobago,” she said.
“The marketing spend that we have in Tobago is nothing compared to the rest of the region, and we have to look at some very innovative ways to get people to market the destination. And one of the ways we can do that is through these partnerships with media organisations. This spend comes at very little cost to us.”
Secretary Burris said that the content filmed by TELEISLAS will be broadcasted to over 45 million people in Columbia and across the region.
“And because they have that kind of reach, this is reach that we can’t pay for. We now are able to look and tap into these markets, where we can now expand our reach across the region.”
In addition, Secretary Burris indicated that the Division, as well as Education Secretary Zorisha Hackett, were involved in discussions examining potential partnerships with two universities and the Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute to strengthen Tobago’s educational sector with respect to tourism studies.
“We also met with a visiting international student and faculty team from South Carolina University, and the University of the West Indies. They want to have some partnerships with Tobago with respect to our tourism educational offerings,” she said.
The Tourism Secretary was updating the public during the THA’s Mandate Monday.