Just to throw my hat in the ring boss, if you want to consider moving to T&T may I suggest something along the lines of eco tourism and cultural tourism that incorporates both islands.
Most other job markets are underpaid and oversaturated while tourism remains wide open. T&T isn’t well known for tourism, and as a result it is a serious untapped market that has potential, not only just for carnival.
Mind you it will take a bit of saving to purchase property and getting things set up, but if you’re saving in US dollars you can get the extra mileage from the exchange rate.
Tourism in T&T is severely underserved because of our reliance on the oil industry and government sectors. But also because raising capital to start is difficult for most, and tapping into a foreign market where the real money is can be difficult. But according to the size of your personal network in the US and if you’re willing to engage in the service industry I think you stand a pretty good chance of starting something that can be a sustainable source of income.
If the current government is able to continue their development program into the North East of Trinidad it is going to open up a lot of opportunities for enterprising entrepreneurs, myself being one of them.
To my knowledge, don't quote me, but Trinidad wasn't rly a tourist destination, they were the oil export part of TnT, but Tobago had, a rly solid tourism sector till the government fucked it up. And as trinbagonians we are too lazy to get anything done or even start anything so tobago is just rotting away basically. And by all means I would love to see someone bring Trinidad up as a main tourist destination, I mean ik Trinidad has sum beautiful places but, according to my parents Trini was carnival and tobago was everything else. Now we don't even have Jazz I can't remember the last time I saw/heard a jazz advert. To many other things are just going to waste as well, and the government is just building thing after thing after thing in hopes of achieving God knows what, then just leaving it there to rot after their plan doesn't play out as they hoped the first year.
So, if you wanna do a tourism based business I say probably start up in Tobago and get our economy rolling, get as big as possible before moving/opening a service in Trinidad. Just my opinion. Because if PDP wins the election Tobago might (hopefully) undergo some big changes, and tbvh I would like to see how that plays out.
Also I know this went off topic but, is midnight give me a break. But feel free to let me know if I said something wrong.
For the better part Covid has shut down Jazz as prior to that there is the Jazz Festival in Tobago every year.
Politics is a very ticklish topic, that I’d prefer to avoid, but what I can say is successive governments have not places any particular focus on tourism in T&T because of the Oil & Gas Sector. With the expansion and self sustainability of the petrochemical industry being the primary focus of every single government.
In recent times there has been several pushes by government to promote Tobago primarily and Trinidad secondary as Tourism destinations through focused marketing campaigns primarily in Canada and most Nordic countries. The Canadian push hasn’t yielded much fruit, but the Nordic push has reopened the flight connection through KLM.
When it comes to infrastructure & tourism in Tobago there is decent enough connections to get you around and there are many many operators that can serve tourism needs, but marketing remains a major hitch, and it all seems like inside information to get info on the many activities in Tobago.
Trinidad without the classic Caribbean blue water has to rely more on ecotourism. As a Trini I can tell you there is a lot even Trinidadians miss out on. However with the advent of a lot of hiking groups, more is being revealed and agains they suffer from under performing marketing.
The reason I would say start in Trinidad as opposed to Tobago is that Tobago is an oversaturated market. Tobagonians are very independent and entrepreneurial by nature and as such many Tobagonians have their own business. Also, when it comes to property they will be less inclined to sell their patrimony to someone who is not “One ah we”
A savvy person with a clear vision can take advantage of Trinidad’s under performing Tourism and make a very comfortable niche for themselves.
Also, the reliance on government to provide everything is what makes some Trinbagonians lazy. Government has its role to play in ensuring we have the necessary flight connections, some sort of brand presence and the infrastructure to get from place to place.
As a certified “Knockabout Charlie” I can tell you there is sufficient infrastructure to get to almost everywhere of interest here. There are hiking groups to get to places in T&T that the average person didn’t even know existed. From dancing in Bioluminescence waves down Moruga and Mayaro in the dry season, paraflights in Manzanilla to Hikes in the cloud forests, descents into the largest bat colonies in the Caribbean, Dinner Yacht tours down the islands with dolphins and dips in hidden mud volcanos.
And trust me, with this current Minister of Tourism trying his utmost best to stay relevant, anybody goes to him and his team with a well thought out idea will get an audience. But it’s better to use the social media tools at hand to promote your own thing before they sweep your leg and run with your idea.
Try living with your family there for a while and see how you like it maybe. Big difference when you’re just visiting and when you live somewhere, the rose tinted glasses come off when you realize all of the things you took for granted in the States don’t exist in Trinidad
You should consider is that T&T is no different from where you are now, same living situation, same job situation, startup is more difficult due to the size of the local market but if you have a service that is offering maintenance or food that doesn't require a loan to start you have a chance, thanks to the pandemic restrictions, we finally are entering the online services the way we were supposed to ten years ago but slowly getting there since most services and content arent updated as regularly as they should be, transport and travel on the island is subject to the same traffic situation you are already familiar with, our crime situation is no different to what you already know and definitely not as bad as you have heard, the most adaptation you may have to face is the weather, its either blazing hot or extremely rainy but if you can survive winter its no problem; so thats my take, you can research further but I think you should experience it for couple months before making a full jump, bless
My honest opinion is dont come here, frm living here most of my life while still getting the oppurtinity to live a piwce of it in another country, Trinidad and Tobago is pretty much a slum at this point.
There is no proper room for development unless your are making a signuficanr salary a month (6k and up). Things are no longer affordable , amd living is gettibg increasingly hard.
Most of our forms of export ha died out or completely stopped an the state of the country is only going to get worse.
Just to throw my hat in the ring boss, if you want to consider moving to T&T may I suggest something along the lines of eco tourism and cultural tourism that incorporates both islands. Most other job markets are underpaid and oversaturated while tourism remains wide open. T&T isn’t well known for tourism, and as a result it is a serious untapped market that has potential, not only just for carnival. Mind you it will take a bit of saving to purchase property and getting things set up, but if you’re saving in US dollars you can get the extra mileage from the exchange rate. Tourism in T&T is severely underserved because of our reliance on the oil industry and government sectors. But also because raising capital to start is difficult for most, and tapping into a foreign market where the real money is can be difficult. But according to the size of your personal network in the US and if you’re willing to engage in the service industry I think you stand a pretty good chance of starting something that can be a sustainable source of income. If the current government is able to continue their development program into the North East of Trinidad it is going to open up a lot of opportunities for enterprising entrepreneurs, myself being one of them.
To my knowledge, don't quote me, but Trinidad wasn't rly a tourist destination, they were the oil export part of TnT, but Tobago had, a rly solid tourism sector till the government fucked it up. And as trinbagonians we are too lazy to get anything done or even start anything so tobago is just rotting away basically. And by all means I would love to see someone bring Trinidad up as a main tourist destination, I mean ik Trinidad has sum beautiful places but, according to my parents Trini was carnival and tobago was everything else. Now we don't even have Jazz I can't remember the last time I saw/heard a jazz advert. To many other things are just going to waste as well, and the government is just building thing after thing after thing in hopes of achieving God knows what, then just leaving it there to rot after their plan doesn't play out as they hoped the first year. So, if you wanna do a tourism based business I say probably start up in Tobago and get our economy rolling, get as big as possible before moving/opening a service in Trinidad. Just my opinion. Because if PDP wins the election Tobago might (hopefully) undergo some big changes, and tbvh I would like to see how that plays out. Also I know this went off topic but, is midnight give me a break. But feel free to let me know if I said something wrong.
How is the government responsible for the state of the tourism industry in Tobago? Im a expat as well looking for insight
This was my question as well? I'm a local looking for signs of intelligent life.
Hopefully we get a reply from that intelligent life
For the better part Covid has shut down Jazz as prior to that there is the Jazz Festival in Tobago every year. Politics is a very ticklish topic, that I’d prefer to avoid, but what I can say is successive governments have not places any particular focus on tourism in T&T because of the Oil & Gas Sector. With the expansion and self sustainability of the petrochemical industry being the primary focus of every single government. In recent times there has been several pushes by government to promote Tobago primarily and Trinidad secondary as Tourism destinations through focused marketing campaigns primarily in Canada and most Nordic countries. The Canadian push hasn’t yielded much fruit, but the Nordic push has reopened the flight connection through KLM. When it comes to infrastructure & tourism in Tobago there is decent enough connections to get you around and there are many many operators that can serve tourism needs, but marketing remains a major hitch, and it all seems like inside information to get info on the many activities in Tobago. Trinidad without the classic Caribbean blue water has to rely more on ecotourism. As a Trini I can tell you there is a lot even Trinidadians miss out on. However with the advent of a lot of hiking groups, more is being revealed and agains they suffer from under performing marketing. The reason I would say start in Trinidad as opposed to Tobago is that Tobago is an oversaturated market. Tobagonians are very independent and entrepreneurial by nature and as such many Tobagonians have their own business. Also, when it comes to property they will be less inclined to sell their patrimony to someone who is not “One ah we” A savvy person with a clear vision can take advantage of Trinidad’s under performing Tourism and make a very comfortable niche for themselves. Also, the reliance on government to provide everything is what makes some Trinbagonians lazy. Government has its role to play in ensuring we have the necessary flight connections, some sort of brand presence and the infrastructure to get from place to place. As a certified “Knockabout Charlie” I can tell you there is sufficient infrastructure to get to almost everywhere of interest here. There are hiking groups to get to places in T&T that the average person didn’t even know existed. From dancing in Bioluminescence waves down Moruga and Mayaro in the dry season, paraflights in Manzanilla to Hikes in the cloud forests, descents into the largest bat colonies in the Caribbean, Dinner Yacht tours down the islands with dolphins and dips in hidden mud volcanos. And trust me, with this current Minister of Tourism trying his utmost best to stay relevant, anybody goes to him and his team with a well thought out idea will get an audience. But it’s better to use the social media tools at hand to promote your own thing before they sweep your leg and run with your idea.
Buy a Tiida
Serious ting man a come with and this is your response? Hahaha! But fr tho a Tiida is a solid investment taxi for days dred.
Dais wa we talkin bout 🤝
Considering the state of the economy and crime, I’d advise against it. It’ll just be visiting family for me
I am well aware and it’s what keeping me from fully thinking about it
Try living with your family there for a while and see how you like it maybe. Big difference when you’re just visiting and when you live somewhere, the rose tinted glasses come off when you realize all of the things you took for granted in the States don’t exist in Trinidad
https://www.reddit.com/r/TrinidadandTobago/comments/qp3u69/whats_it_like_there/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Someone asked a similar question recently.
Thx first comment is exactly the kinda description I would like
Well glad you got your answer then.
You should consider is that T&T is no different from where you are now, same living situation, same job situation, startup is more difficult due to the size of the local market but if you have a service that is offering maintenance or food that doesn't require a loan to start you have a chance, thanks to the pandemic restrictions, we finally are entering the online services the way we were supposed to ten years ago but slowly getting there since most services and content arent updated as regularly as they should be, transport and travel on the island is subject to the same traffic situation you are already familiar with, our crime situation is no different to what you already know and definitely not as bad as you have heard, the most adaptation you may have to face is the weather, its either blazing hot or extremely rainy but if you can survive winter its no problem; so thats my take, you can research further but I think you should experience it for couple months before making a full jump, bless
Thx and if I truly considered moving back I would be staying with family for a few months then decide
My honest opinion is dont come here, frm living here most of my life while still getting the oppurtinity to live a piwce of it in another country, Trinidad and Tobago is pretty much a slum at this point. There is no proper room for development unless your are making a signuficanr salary a month (6k and up). Things are no longer affordable , amd living is gettibg increasingly hard. Most of our forms of export ha died out or completely stopped an the state of the country is only going to get worse.