Compared to other Commonwealth Caribbean Islands, Trinidad's tourism sector has traditionally lost out thanks in part to its location, which is farther away from North America. Historically it has not attracted as many visitors from the United States, for example, as counterparts like Jamaica.
In addition, the Trinidad tourism sector has been limited by legislation. The Trinidad government has traditionally cracked down on potential tourist draws such as casinos and private beaches. The government also owned British West Indian Airways (BWIA) until 1995, which served Trinidad, and has been criticized for not fully promoting Trinidad tourism overseas, potentially stunting the sector's growth.
Another factor is the tourism industry's infrastructure, which has been underdeveloped. One problem was a limited number of hotel rooms in the 1980s; another was the country's congested ports, which led to a decline in the number of cruise ships visiting the country before the 1990s.
The government has made efforts to energize the tourism sector. At Port of Spain, the capital, a cruise ship terminal was installed in the 1990s; since then, the country has received 65,000 cruise ship arrivals a year, and more tourists have begun to head to the island from the US.
However, recent years have seen something of a dip in visitor arrivals to Trinidad. Between 2000 and 2007, typical tourist arrivals to Trinidad were in the region of 350,000. In 2008, this figure slumped to around 200,000, according to data from the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Tourism.
Music is a potent draw for visitors to Trinidad. Both Trinidad and Tobago are famed for their live and party music scenes, which often include performances by calypso artists and big steel bands. Another tourist draw is the festival scene, which includes February's popular Carnival, and religious festivals that vistors find appealing.
The Trinidad government has put in place the 2020 Tourism Development Plan, which aims to increase the contribution of the tourism sector to Trinidad's GDP. The plan sees the creation of more jobs, better infrastructure and national support as the keys to doing this, along with partnerships with well-known big brands.
