Trinidad & Tobago thank partners for a strong 2015

The Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Development Company welcomed travel partners to its annual holiday dinner last night, thanking them for their support in 2015 and into the New Year.

Allison Ferguson, who represents the destination in Canada, told PAX that it’s been a busy year for Trinidad and Tobago in Canada. In 2015, the destination teamed up with former Toronto Raptor Jamaal Magloire and the Toronto Revellers Cultural Association, a volunteer group founded by the Toronto-born NBA player which promotes Caribbean culture through its contributions and participation in the annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival. For the coming year, Ferguson said the travel industry can expect to play an expanded role in that partnership.

“Next year we’ll be doing more activities with the Revellers and we hope to get the travel agents involved in Toronto Caribbean Carnival,” she said.

Ferguson also noted a number of FAMs to Trinidad and Tobago took place over the last year (with more planned for 2016), which welcomed both agents and several travel media members (including PAX), providing more exposure for the destination within the travel industry.

“We’re doing more FAMs and we’ve had some great coverage,” Ferguson said, “and we’re hoping to see more airlines and tour operators pick up Trinidad and Tobago as a destination."

This year also saw the launch of the Trinidad and Tobago Travel Agent Specialist Program, which provides agents with both an expert knowledge of the islands and also makes them eligible for benefits including FAM trips, Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) from ACTA and more. Ferguson told PAX that reception to the program from agents has been very positive, reminding participants to register their bookings with the program to become eligible for the benefits.

“Agents are doing the programs and some are registering their bookings,” she said. “Those agents are being invited to our events so they’re very happy with that."

Looking ahead to 2016, Ferguson said that agents can also expect to see a series of Trinidad and Tobago roadshows in urban centres such as Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, likely taking place in the spring or summer.

PHOTO: Faadia Mohammed, travel consultant, Titantours; Jill Hingwai, travel consultant, Marlin Travel; Allison Ferguson, marketing/PR director, Avia Reps; Courtney Samuels, vacation expert, tripcentral.ca; Paul Chin-Aleong, senior travel advisor, New Wave Travel.