Despite ongoing economic challenges in Trinidad and Tobago, tourism officials from two Caribbean destinations say travellers from the twin-island republic continue to show strong interest in regional travel.

Trinidad and Tobago remains a major source market for several destinations in the eastern and southern Caribbean, including St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Barbados and Grenada.

Caribbean Pulse spoke with tourism officials from Antigua and Barbuda and St Lucia, who said they have not seen a major decline in Trinidadians travelling to their islands for vacations, events and cultural experiences.

Speaking with Caribbean Pulse on the sidelines of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) 44th annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez said Trinidad and Tobago is currently the country’s fourth-largest source market.

Fernandez said LIAT’s return to Trinidad’s Piarco International Airport played an important role in increasing travel demand from the country.

“We would love to have as many people from the Caribbean. And I know Trinidadians traditionally, years past, would go to Barbados for a weekend. We would like to think now that they would look at some new destinations,” Fernandez said.

He promoted Antigua and Barbuda’s year-round events calendar, including culinary month, art week, sailing week and major cricket and boating events, saying the destination offers more than beaches alone.

“So apart from just coming to enjoy the beaches or to enjoy the vacation, you can have something to do or something to be part of or something to enjoy,” he said.

Fernandez also pointed to low crime levels in Antigua and Barbuda as an advantage for attracting visitors.

“I think that is one of the boxes that our visitors want to tick before choosing a destination,” he said.

Fuel costs and airline pricing, however, remain concerns for Caribbean tourism officials amid tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty within the aviation sector.

Fernandez said international airlines are already reviewing pricing structures.

“We are only hoping that what is happening in the Middle East will calm down and settle down so that the prices can come back down to a level where we continue to see a price that we are able to travel with, as we did six months ago,” he said.

Meanwhile, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority Chief Executive Officer Louis Lewis said Trinidad and Tobago remains one of St Lucia’s most important regional tourism markets.

“Trinidad actually is the second largest market for us regionally. And if you put it in the context of our source markets globally, it’s actually our fifth-largest market,” Lewis said.

Lewis acknowledged there was some decline in Trinidad arrivals during 2025, but said the island recovered through targeted marketing campaigns focused on events and sports tourism.

“We started to implement some Trinidad-specific campaigns surrounding our events and also surrounding some sports initiatives that we have been engaged in St Lucia. And the numbers are now actually positive,” he said.

Lewis said increased flight frequency toward the end of last year and into the first three months of this year also contributed to the rebound in visitor arrivals from Trinidad and Tobago.

“The ability for people to come to St Lucia, as well as getting that demand surrounding the events and activities and the cultural activities that we’ve been putting on, we’ve had some strong support out of Trinidad,” he said.