Budget: $15m for tourism attraction upgrades

THE Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts has been allocated $15 million for upgrade of tourism sites and attractions. Minister Randall Mitchell said that would include new and continuing works.

Answering a question from Tabaquite MP Anita Haynes-Alleyne during the standing finance committee in Parliament on Tuesday, Mitchell outlined some of the projects.

“Work continues on a number of sites, including River Estate Museum and Waterwheel, Stollmeyer’s Castle restoration and additional works, the Maracas lifeguard towers, the Las Cuevas lifeguard towers which are practically complete, with the defects liability ongoing, Manzanilla beach facility Phases 3 and 5. Next year we have Vessigny beach fence repair, Maracas beach wheelchair access and some further Fort George works.”

He said money was allocated for maintenance of sites, including wastewater treatment plant maintenance at Las Cuevas, Manzanilla and Vessigny ($380,000), landscaping and grounds maintenance to Valera, Fort George, Lopinot, La Vigie and pruning the trees at Las Cuevas and Manzanilla, among others.

Moruga/Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin asked how the National Carnival Commission (NCC) would be affected by the reduction of $1.42 million in allocation in short-term employment. She said the NCC chairman had requested more funding in previous years which he had not received.

Mitchell responded, “We all request more funding, but it’s what the country could afford.”

Benjamin also asked how a $1.6 million reduction in the allocation for construction of building facilities would affect Carnival preparation.

Mitchell said, “They will have to negotiate for lower prices through their tendering process and ensure that it’s within the budget.”

In response to a question from Benjamin about how regional bodies were held accountable for the money they received from the allocation of $8 million, Mitchell said, “We award grants to 51 regional bodies.

"I am certain there is some accountability mechanism that these regional committees would have to show to the NCC before they receive funding but I can get back to you in writing.”

Oropouche West MP Davendranath Tancoo asked the minister to explain what the line item “Diaspora, Visiting Friends and Relatives – Targeting” constituted. Mitchell said it was a niche market.

“One of our main target markets is the diaspora in Trinidad tourism. In 2024, we did destination promotion, you may have seen ads on CNN, we engaged a number of social media influencers, visited a number of international trade shows and did quite a bit of digital marketing. When you examine and analyse the data, the largest amount of visitors are people from the diaspora who visit friends and family.”

Mitchell said an allocation of $5 million for tourism festivals was spent on TT’s first World Steelpan Festival around World Steelpan Day.

“It’s recognised on the UN calendar. This year there were a number of activities, including a World Steelpan Day at the Hyatt Regency, a number of panyard limes across the country, an art gallery hop, a National Steel Symphony concert at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, and culminated with the World Steelpan Day in Woodford Square.”

Asked about the staffing at the ministry, Mitchell said the number of established staff at the ministry was 86, with 42 positions vacant with bodies, 16 vacant without bodies and 28 positions filled. He said there were 41 people on contract in the Culture Division.