Port-of-Spain, October 16, 2009 -- Moving between the islands of the eastern and southern Caribbean continues to be burdensome for regional and international travelers.
General shortfalls in transportation - both air and sea - also work to the continued detriment of Trinidad and Tobago manufacturers and exporters.
It is an ongoing problem that has plagued industry and business development in the country, and around the Caribbean, for decades. Tourism development has also been stymied as travelers find its increasingly difficult to navigate around the region. A planned ferry service operating out of Grenada has the potential to change that.
Tourism Minister, Joseph Ross, said last week that the establishment of the new inter-regional ferry between Trinidad and Tobago and the islands of Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent had the potential to strengthen the transportation links between these territories and bring economic benefits.
It is a fair assumption that the service could assist in the development and promotion of regional tourism and increase jobs in an industry that has taken a beating following the contagion effects of the global financial crisis.
Competitive and easy access to travel in these islands is critical to achieving much-needed tourism growth, Minister Ross noted last week. It also has the potential to open up and stimulate development possibilities for travel from more developed countries.
The Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism suggested last week that the service could boost tourism, in that foreign visitors coming from North America could have the option of exploring other Caribbean islands at a relatively inexpensive cost. The new ferry service is a vibrant, much-needed idea.
But what is also required, and what remains to be implemented, is a safe, reliable and consistent service that can add another dimension to regional travel and business.
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