Domestic tourism has the potential to generate income in smaller communities, according to Ramchand Rajbal Maraj, the president of the Couva Point Lisas Chamber of Commerce.
He was at the time speaking yesterday after the Proman Group of Companies injected $100,000 into the upcoming Carli Bay Fish Festival.
The cheque was handed over to the Carli Bay Fishermen Association at the Chamber’s facilities at Camden Road.
Maraj said once domestic tourism was marketed properly it can attract a large number of people.
Rajbal Maraj said the aim was to ensure the fish festival had a spot on the annual calendar of events. He said once all systems are in place he foresees thousands of patrons attending the event.
He said Carli Bay was generating foreign exchange due to exports of the cutlass fish which are sold to markets in Miami and China.
The event comes off on June 29 and has a budget of $150,000. Rajbal Maraj said a chunk of the budget would go towards paying for police, security and fire services to ensure patrons feel comfortable. He said the festival will commemorate St Peter’s Day, the fisherman’s day, and will begin with the blessing of the boats and fishermen. Booths will feature seafood and focus on culture. Rajbal Maraj said the event would also auger well to promote domestic tourism.
Collis Williams, manager at Proman, said the company controls IPS, Methanol Holdings and Denovo among others, plan to share what it can with the fence-line communities and take an active role in upcoming events.