TTTIC monitory for quality service in tourism

The Tobago Tourism Agency Limited (TTAL) and the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS) on Monday signed an agreement for the monitoring of quality service in the tourism sector in keeping with standards agreed to under the TT Tourism Industry Certification (TTTIC) Programme.

TTTIC is a national certification programme which assesses whether tourism operators meet national quality standards. In Tobago, TTTIC is administered by the TTAL which provides support and guidance to applicants by helping them navigate the process.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at the Central Administrative Services, Tobago (CAST), Orange Hill Road, Scarborough, TTBS Chairman Lawford Dupres said the agreement represents a regulatory partnership with TTAL. He said TTTIC would provide assurance to visitors that basic levels of quality, health and safety are in place, which is done by ensuring that tourism operators implement and maintain standards at their operations. Dupres said this assurance can increase visitor confidence in booking tourism services in Trinidad and Tobago.

“We are here to try and reenergise the use of these standards… our responsibilities include the promotion of the TTTIC programme using all available communication and media workshops…

“Marketing costs money and I think we have suffered in the past by not been consistently funded throughout the years, so I hope that this time around, we can make sure that we have the required resources to do that job properly and effectively,” he said.

TTAL’s Director of Product and Destination Management, Korice Nancis, said given the major role that the tourism sector and Tobago both have in the new national diversification thrust, the Agency, entrusted to rebuild and revitalise the local industry, recognises that TTTIC can facilitate improvement in areas critical to product development and service delivery.

“We must strive for continuous improvement and best practice if we are to be considered a serious regional and global competitor. We must also move towards bridging the standards gap as we rebuild and ultimately maintain a robust tourism sector and TTTIC is certainly a beautiful foundation upon which to start,” she said.