Trinidad scrambles to keep its image as tourist destination after UK advisory

www.miami.com Posted on Tue, Jan. 21, 2003

By MARIKA LYNCH mlynch@herald.com

The United Kingdom -- in a travel advisory -- branded Trinidad and Tobago a possible terrorist target, and as a result a major cruise line pulled out. Now the two-island nation off Venezuela has the unwelcomed mission of scrambling to keep its image as a tourist spot.

Trinidad may be experiencing a crime wave and recent kidnapping spree, but it's not a haven for terrorists, government officials say. The country is instead a casualty of an overcautious United Kingdom.

'Following the carnage in Mombasa, Dar es Salam and Bali, governments around the world now wish to be `safe rather than sorry' insofar as the provision of information on foreign travel to their citizens is concerned,'' Prime Minster Patrick Manning told the House of Representatives Friday.

'Unfortunately in this instance . . . it is the government and people of Trinidad and Tobago who are being called upon to pay the price, economic and otherwise, for the new doctrine of `just in case.' ''

Selwyn Ryan, a professor at the University of the West Indies, agreed.

''What they are doing is out of an abundance of caution rather than in response to any information that is credible and worth taking seriously,'' Ryan said.

Politics also has clouded the issue, with the opposition accusing Manning's People's National Movement of being linked to a radical Muslim group.

The trouble started when police began investigating a Muslim cleric known to sympathize with Osama bin Laden. Though never charged with a crime, the cleric at one time was suspected by Trinidad police of making threats against Western interests.

The British government then issued a warning: ''We believe Trinidad and Tobago to be one of a number of countries where there may be an increased terrorist threat,'' it said. ``British nationals should exercise vigilance, particularly in public places frequented by foreigners such as hotels, restaurants and shopping malls.''

The UK-based P&O Princess Cruises started canceling stops -- six since December, diverting about 1,200 passengers each time, said Renatta Mohammed, communications manager for Trinidad's tourism promotion agency.

Last year, about 75,000 cruise ship passengers landed on the country's shores. The state agency is still gauging the economic impact of the pullout, since P&O Princess Cruises canceled service last week. No other lines have threatened to do the same.

Trinidad's economy is primarily fueled by rich gas and oil finds. The most immediate effect will be money lost to local entertainers and tax drivers, Mohammed said.

The U.S. government, by contrast, hasn't issued any similar travel advisories, and instead in a consular sheet says the country is ``considered safe.''

U.S. officials have been monitoring Trinidad and Tobago since local media reported in December that the cleric might be planning an attack. But no attacks materialized, a State Department official said, and neither did a warning.

''We're a democratic, peace-loving country known for its hospitality,'' said Mohammed, of the state tourism agency. This week, three former and current government ministers are being dispatched to London, New York and Washington to spread that message.