Small but perfectly formed, Trinidad's beautiful island neighbor upgrades with help from China

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A true Caribbean paradise spanning just 116 square miles, Tobago is a diverse island of strong potential. With lush rainforests, a serene landscape, a stunning coral reef, pristine beaches and a luxury resort and golf course, this home to 60,000 people offers a diverse range of activities for tourists, as well as numerous opportunities for savvy investors.

The Tobago House of Assembly, THA for short, is forward looking and supportive to both businesses and the environment. Infrastructure is excellent by Caribbean standards - the island's ANR Robinson Airport is currently in the midst of an upgrade and enjoys direct flights from Delta, BA and Virgin airlines, among others - and is only a $50, 25 minute trip from Port of Spain, Trinidad to Tobago.

Pigeon Point beach and dyke. Photoes Provided to China Daily

With Trinidad's energy economy as backup, Tobago's representatives can afford to be selective as far as tourism development projects are concerned, while enjoying the advantages an affordable and reliable energy supply brings to Tobago's competitiveness.

As he discussed the Tobago Economic Development Plan 2013-2017 - a new agenda for change and diversification - Chief Secretary Orville London highlighted the new projects that would be attractive for Chinese visitors.

"Tobago is now in a position where it can maximize its proximity to the gas and energy resources of the country," he said. "We have the gas pipeline coming from the BHP Billiton field and a 64-megawatt power plant at the Cove Eco-Industrial and Business Park, CEIBP for short. It is a small area and there are openings for pharmaceuticals, agroprocessing, some downstream activities, as well as information technology. We have had interest from China and the CEIBP board of directors is now exploring some of these possibilities."

Also among Tobago's advantages is its strategic location at the gateway to the Americas - it lies just 50 miles from the Venezuelan coast-a highly literate population and a stable political environment.

"We want to get away from our almost total dependence on tourism," London says, adding that as the THA is also looking to strengthen its traditional sectors of agriculture and fishing.

"When I visited China some years ago, one of the things that impressed me was the number of small-scale operations set up on sometimes challenging terrain that weren't ultra sophisticated but that got the job done in a way that makes the product competitive. We also need to look at the specialization in the type of produce."

Creating brand loyalty

When it comes to tourism, however, London is adamant Tobago will never go the way of other destinations that end up destroying the very product that attracted visitors in the first place.

"Sometimes you have pristine, attractive, and natural places being transformed into mini-Miamis as they cater to other visitors," he said. "We are a market leader because we started late and moved slowly. That has been a deliberate policy and I hope that visitors notice that even if it is a tourist island, you still get the feeling you are living in an authentic place where you feel comfortable.

"Within 116 square miles, you get the sun, sea and sand aspect but then you also have the north-east which is more rustic and earthy.

"We have diving to rival any other site in the world at Speyside and niche activities such as bird watching, as well as a varied cultural heritage. I think we can provide the discerning visitor with a unique experience and of course, when you link that to a fairly extensive infrastructure, it makes for an interesting package. In 20 years, you will find more or less the same product."

The idea of Tobago staying the same is something London is keen to build on and "sell" to investors.

"In an environment that is dynamic and competitive and so on, we are looking at brand loyalty; the type of loyalty that is based on a predictable product. We buy Coca-Cola and KFC because we are loyal to their brand. In tourism, however, things change and become unfashionable," he said.

Within the Diversification Program, the THA earmarked designated development areas: one of which was looking at how to be more attractive to businesses.

"We are now working with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Tourism and Trade to ensure that there can be an easy flow of business, where the bureaucratic hurdles are eliminated and where you bring predictability to the whole process. We want to get to a stage where a prospective investor can see a time frame and see the constraints and unpredictability."

A 40-year milestone

Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between Trinidad and Tobago and China. The occasion will be marked with the opening of a new Trinidad and Tobago embassy in Beijing and shows a higher level of relations between the two countries.

London explained the characteristics that distinguish Tobago as an excellent business partner.

"We have been very fortunate in our relationship with the Chinese embassy and had a better than excellent relationship with them. The previous ambassador, Yan Youming, genuinely loved the island and we hope the current ambassador Huang Xingyuan to be just as enthusiastic.

"However, we know that there is a constraint with respect to distance and of course, competition along the way. You just need a minuscule percentage of the people who travel out of China to make it viable. There is a ready market in the Chinese population in the US for example, so the question of airlift and language has already been resolved. There is a respect for the Chinese, their culture, their way of life, and most importantly, their people, their focus, their self-reliance and their industriousness. There have been some mutually beneficial relationships between Tobago and the Chinese, which have benefitted both sides."

With China's help, Tobago hopes to use tourism as a vehicle for rebranding, as part of an effort to become a must-see destination.

"We are starting to see some positive action on this front; the Chinese ambassador has indicated there are programs available to us in China, especially countries that are not considered highly developed countries, which is one avenue that we can explore.

"There are stories there that are applicable to the Tobago context. Some of the things they have done have been performed quite well and I believe some of the stories of Chinese success should be told here in Tobago."

InFocus provided the story

(China Daily 02/24/2014 page18)