The southernmost Caribbean island took modest but positive strides in the 2019-2020 season. Trinidad projected 70,000 passengers arrivals on 27 calls, including three maiden calls and calls from two new-to-island cruise lines. In 2018-2019 the island received 59,000 passengers.
Howard Chin Lee, chairman of Tourism Trinidad, said the island is working with regional and local tourism groups to expand their share of the cruise sector. Trinidad is associated with the birth of the steel pan, calypso music, and all the glittering revelry of Caribbean carnivals. Chin Lee stressed modern travelers are looking for more than duty free shopping. “Today’s travelers are looking for new experiences; especially millennials – or as we like to call them, the disrupters – who are actively seeking out authentic experiences in exotic, far flung destinations and want something cool to share with their friends on social media,” he said while welcoming the Caribbean Princess to port.
Trinidad’s long-term goal is to build a sustainable service culture through continuous training, product development and enhanced service delivery, cruise officials said. They’re creating the right customer experience to sustain and grow their tourism business.
Docking in the heart of Port Of Spain, disembarking visitors are welcomed in the cruise ship hall by local parang folk music, playful Moko Jumbies (costumed dancers on stilts) and local food sampling stations.
