Over 100 Trinidad and Tobago tourists head to Margarita

A total of 110 TT tourists arrived on the island of Margarita, Venezuela, on April 6, eight years after the airline travel was disrupted between the two countries.

The tourists travelled on a Rutaca charter flight and landed at the Santiago Mariño International Airport in the city of Porlamar where they were greeted by Venezuelan Minister of Tourism Alí Padrón and other Venezuelan authorities.

Padron told Venezuelan media they expect another 22 flights from TT to arrive this year, in the first phase of the renewed tourism drive.

Venezuelan authorities estimate 1,440 TT tourists will visit the island of Margarita "to learn about the natural, historical and cultural destinations."

Another flight is scheduled to leave on April 10 from the Piarco to Margarita. Those who left on April 6 are scheduled to return on April 10 and those who are leaving on April 10 and scheduled to return on April 14.

Padron said tourists from Poland will also soon arrive in Margarita, in addition to visitors from Russia and Cuba who are heading to Los Roques, Margarita, Canaima or Caracas.

Hammock Travel agency confirmed to Venezuelan media that flights originating from TT were being offered for sale.

Nadia Dookie a representative of Hammock Travel said TT nationals have always liked going to Margarita to shop. She said Rutaca's round-trip charter flight from Trinidad to Margarita cost US$420 and has been well received.

Venezuelan ambassador to TT Álvaro Sánchez Cordero told Newsday the reopening of direct flights will facilitate better communication and exchange through tourism, culture and education.

“TT tourists who go to Margarita on a monthly basis represent an economic benefit for Venezuela. During the last 20 years, we have gone through a process of economic diversification that has included tourism, as well as other sectors, as a focal point for obtaining foreign income. In addition, our tourism product includes the participation of local communities. Therefore, the benefits are shared equally with them,” he said.

Sánchez Cordero said the re-establishment of direct flights expanded all the possibilities of participation in various areas.

Since the beginning of the covid19 pandemic, direct trips between TT and Venezuela have been disrupted. However, last year the Triniflyer shipping agency obtained permits to transport passengers on ferries between the two countries from Chaguaramas to Guiria and vice versa.