FITUN wants recall of Gov't's failed tourism plan

The Federation of Independent Trade Unions and Non-Governmental Organisations, FITUN, says it has noted with great consternation, the current "debacle" taking place at the "ill-advised" Tourism Trinidad Ltd (TTL).

In a statement, FITUN reminded of the public outcry by the Communication Workers' Union when the Tourism Development Company (TDC) was hastily closed down in 2017.

"We also recall that the union warned the Government about its ill-conceived, unfounded and misguided politically charged decision to dismantle the single tourism agency and create a silo-type structure incorporating disaggregated tourism agencies for TT independent of each other," FITUN said.

It added that in addition to the public outcry by the unions, workers at the agency developed a detailed and comprehensive alternative plan for the restructuring of the organisation.

"But, consistent with the arrogance of successive governments, the PNM Government ignored those well researched and workable recommendations and took the road to destruction, as is now being played out in the public domain," FITUN said.

"From all reports, it is quite apparent that the TTL has been an abysmal failure from a strategic, structural and operational perspective. We are clear in our view that the intent behind the closure of the TDC was in the first instance to disaggregate the Tobago tourism management

sector to cater for the then Sandals project and to secondly to get rid of trade union representation in the TOC," the statement said.

FITUN added that at the time of the closure of the TDC, the CWU was in the process of negotiating the first collective agreement for workers and with the crash of the Sandals project, there was now a dismantling of the tourism sector in both islands.

"The latest statistics from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) places TT among the group of destinations (inclusive of

Haiti and Bermuda) with the weakest performances with a -2.2 per cent decline in tourist arrivals for the first quarter of 2019.

"Meanwhile, the Caribbean has forged ahead to average a 12 per cent growth in visitor arrivals during the same period. Additionally, a consistent and marked decline in tourist arrivals to TT have been recorded by the CTO since the PNM assumed office in 2015 with tourist arrivals dropping from 439,749 in 2015 to 375,485 at the end of 2018; a further reduction at the end of 2019 is anticipated given the current

debacle," FITUN said.

In its statement, FITUN outlined some features of its proposed plan, which noted, "The prevailing economic climate both globally and locally is signalling the need to refine our efforts, with a strategic approach to interlinking the separate tourism entities to avoid duplicity with regards to promotion, visitor services, training and support and to identify and address any gaps that may exist."

The proposed plan also looked at the increased cost that would accrue with the setting up of separate destination management entities and based on workers' analysis, it found that the setting up of two entities, with separate responsibility for marketing and product development for each, was not going to yield the best returns for destination TT.

FITUN has proposed a restructuring of the current tourism model to mirror those used around the world which would incorporate a

collaborative and strategic destination marketing approach between both islands with specific input from tourism stakeholders.

"The government faces the stark reality that the once burgeoning energy sector can no longer sustain economic growth and development due to a sustained decline in global oil prices," FITUN said, adding that "diversification can no longer be a fashionable expression, but rather a solid position supported by significant and decisive action."

FITUN called on the Prime Minister and his regime to review its tourism plan, remove the chairman of the TTL and use the alternative plan developed by former TDC workers as the basis for discussions for the formulating of a new plan for tourism.

"To achieve this mandate, the Government should develop a task force, inclusive of some of the former professional staff members of the

TDC and key stakeholders from the tourism sector, to review this alternative plan with the mandate of coming up with a collaborate tourism destination management structure for TT.

"As such, FITUN is once again making a call for good sense, guided by some modicum of social conscience to prevail and in the circumstances, the opportunity should be taken to take a sober look at our tourism sector devoid of brinkmanship and political posturing, with the objective of finding a solution to this current debacle," FITUN suggested.