Energy
and Tourism
By Energy Correspondent
Trinidad Express
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
07 01 07
There have been five international conferences/seminars
in Trinidad and Tobago over the last two weeks,
all related in some way to the energy sector. This
unusual and unplanned occurrence tells us that
a trend may be emerging. More particularly, it
is, to my mind, an early indicator that the energy
sector is inadvertently forging links with tourism.
Energy is providing us with a gateway to the world
of business tourism which is a US$40 billion industry.
The experiences of the last fortnight stimulate
exciting thoughts about the tremendous revenue
potential and powerful marketing impact of international
conferences for the energy sector in particular
and the wider economy in general. Unfortunately,
such excitement must be tempered by the sober thought
that there is a gulf between our current infrastructure
and support systems and the requirements of a world
class international conference destination.
The
fortnight of conferences opened with the two-day
forum on Carbon Trading and Clean Development Mechanism
at the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre on
June 4-5th 2007. This was followed on June 8, 2007
by the 2nd UK -Caribbean Business Forum which addressed
the theme" Climate Change and the Caribbean
Economy; Threats and Opportunities. The UK -Caribbean
Forum was the creation of the Caribbean Association
of Industry and Commerce. Tobago took centre stage
on June 12 -15, 2007, with the 2nd Tobago Gas Technology
Conference, (TGTC) held at the Hilton Tobago. The
Conference theme "Gas towards a Green Future" giving
support to Tobago's branding as "Clean Green
and serene". TGTC was organised by University
of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). The Trinidad Hilton
was the site of two Conferences over the period
June 17 -20, 2007. The Natural Gas Export Task
Force- in conjunction with British Sulphur staged
the first Gaz Chem Conference. This event focused
on the downstream - chemical applications of natural
gas. Unfortunately, Gaz Chem ran simultaneously
with the 4th GSTT - Geological Society of Trinidad
and Tobago, Conference and Exhibition. The focus
of GSTT was on Caribbean Exploration - Planning
for the Next Century. While none of these conferences
attracted more than a few hundred people, they
collectively would have introduced more than 800
persons from both academics and business, to Trinidad
and Tobago, and would have enhanced the country's
reputation as a site for conference. But this is
just the tip of the iceberg compared with the big
league.
Major international energy conferences and exhibitions
attract thousands of delegates and their spouses.
For example, - the International Conference on
LNG, now in its 15th year, attracted almost 5000
participants to the Barcelona International Convention
Centre in April 2007. There was active participation
of 500 companies from 55 countries over the four-day
event. This leading international forum on LNG
is held every three years and alternates between
LNG producer and consumer nations. Very much like
the Olympic Games, prospective hosts must put in
their bids long in advance. Already, Algiers has
been selected as the host of LNG 16 in 2010 and
USA for LNG 17 in 2013.
The World Gas Conference 2006 in Amsterdam attracted
some 4000 conference delegates from 88 countries.
An outstanding example on the oil side is the annual
Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston
Texas. OTC '07 attracted more than 67,000 people
to the Conference and exhibition, the highest in
25 years and an increase of 13 per cent from the
previous year.
How important is business tourism to an economy?
Business tourism is reported to be the fastest
growing sector in the global tourism industry.
Research done in Edinburg, Scotland indicates that
32 per cent of delegates attending a conference
said they would definitely return for a leisure
break in the next two or three years, while 62
per cent said they will probably do so. For Tobago
in particular, business conference tourism can
help to fill rooms during the low season, thereby
increasing overall year round occupancy levels.
High occupancy levels mean more permanent jobs
in both Tobago and Trinidad.
Can
Trinidad and Tobago claim a share of the US$
40 billion business tourism market? In the short-term,
T&T is severely constrained by limited hotel
rooms and lack of a world class Conference and
Exhibition facility, and in the case of Tobago,
perennial air bridge problems. It would be impossible
for T&T to host any of the major international
oil and gas conferences or even an international
AIDS conference with existing facilities. While
the new Waterfront Hyatt and the Carlton Savannah
will add much needed rooms to the existing stock,
there seems to be no immediate solution to the
Conference Centre problem. In the old days, the
Chaguaramas Convention Centre was perhaps one of
the best in the region. Today, that title is held
by the Sherbourne Conference Centre Barbados, voted
the Caribbean's Leading Conference Centre by World
Travel Awards for three consecutive years- 2003,
2004 and 2005. It is no mystery why Barbados seems
ahead of the T&T in such matters. Without the
wealth of oil and gas, "Little England",
has taken focused on building on her strengths
with limited resources. But all is not lost, as
an internationally recognised player in the global
energy business, Trinidad and Tobago has the unique
opportunity, among its Caricom partners, to leverage
the energy sector and grow the business tourism
market. A world class Conference and Exhibition
Facility is a necessary condition for success.
Feedback: energyczartt@yahoo.com
Trinidad
Express
Wednesday, June 27th 2007
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