Destination Trinidad has been awarded the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp – certification that the island has been upholding high standards of health and safety in adherence to global health protocols. The Safe Travels Stamp was developed to help restore travellers’ confidence and revive a covid19-stricken global travel and tourism industry. The WTTC selected Tourism Trinidad Limited (TTL) to administer the stamp in Trinidad.
Heidi Alert, acting chief executive officer of Tourism Trinidad, said, “The safety of tourism stakeholders, the public and the international visitor is of paramount importance for rebuilding confidence in Trinidad as a premier Caribbean destination. Everyone now wants to be reassured of the imposition of public health measures across the gamut of the industry and feel confident when visiting our hotels, touring our many sites and attractions, exploring our hiking trails and waterfalls. Where ever the Safe Travels Stamp is seen, you can then be assured that they are upholding the highest standards of health and safety and demonstrating adherence to national and global health protocols.”
Launched on the international stage in May 2020, the World Travel and Tourism Council already has over 275 destinations around the world that have been awarded the stamp; including destinations across the Americas, Europe, the Caribbean (including Tobago), Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. Protocols for the programme were developed in conjunction with the current World Health Organization and Centres for Disease Control guidelines. The Safe Travels Stamp is fast becoming the leading self-assessment certification for governments, tourism bodies, hospitality, and aviation companies as they endeavour to achieve a safe restart for post-pandemic travel.
Tourism Trinidad, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts and other public health safety institutions, will be rolling out a monitoring and auditing programme to ensure that local tourism operators are consistently adhering to the prerequisite health and safety protocols.
The stamp adds to Trinidad’s commitment to tourism health safety as tourism businesses have also been availing themselves of the Healthier Safer Stamp (HST) offered by the Caribbean Public Health Agency.
The HST is a measurable and verifiable assurance to travellers of a healthier and safer travel and tourism option. It is granted to tourism entities and destinations that are implementing the recommended proactive covid19 health monitoring and safety measures.
Tourism Trinidad, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Tobago Tourism Agency, is conducting extensive and complimentary familiarisation sessions on the approved national covid19 protocols for the industry, covering a wide range of tourism stakeholders to provide a comprehensive understanding of these guidelines for each sub-sector.
Over 400 people from the accommodation, tour operators, community groups an
