His Excellency Vishnu Dhanpaul, Trinidad and Tobago’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will lead this country’s delegation to participate in Trinidad and Tobago’s Business Forum and National Day at Expo 2020, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The World Expo 2020 Dubai, themed, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, is one of the world’s most renowned and influential international events with over one hundred and ninety (190) participating countries and millions of visitors from around the world attending the event.
The Expo which began in October, 2021, concludes on March 31, 2022. At the Expo, Trinidad and Tobago will host a Business Forum on March 10, 2022 to promote the country as a premier business, trade and investment destination. The Forum which is a collaborative effort between exporTT and invesTT will highlight the country’s competitive advantages, attractive investment climate, and also feature business and investment opportunities in the manufacturing, energy and tourism sectors. Additionally, opportunities for new bilateral tourism agreements and air services agreements will be explored.
Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry, will deliver a virtual feature address with in-person presentations by Senior Officials of invesTT Limited, exporTT Limited, Tobago House of Assembly, Trinidad Tourism Limited and the Tobago Tourism Agency. Participants at the Forum will include countries targeted for foreign investments and trade, as well as private sector companies with strategic interest in doing business with Trinidad and Tobago.
Underscoring the benefits of Trinidad and Tobago’s participation at Expo 2020, Minister Gopee-Scoon noted that the country’s presence at the Expo is an ideal opportunity to showcase to the world our position as a viable destination for business, investment and trade, while also utilising the opportunity to enhance market access to existing and new international markets.
In addition to the Business Forum, Trinidad and Tobago will host its National Day at the Expo on March 11, 2022. The National Day will provide visitors with the opportunity to experience participating countries’ music, dance, drama, and culture. Trinidad and Tobago’s National Day will highlight our culture, creativity and diversity through performances of Steelpan, Chutney, Calypso and Parang and also showcase a glimpse of our festivals, such as Carnival, Christmas and Ramleela. A cultural contingent comprising of twelve (12) members of the National Steel Symphony Orchestra (NSSO), the National Theatre Arts Company (NTAC) and the National Philharmonic Orchestra (NPO) will also perform at the event. Leading chutney artiste Nishard Mayrhoo and popular soca artiste Erphaan Alves will perform at the event.
The Trinidad and Tobago Pavilion is among the 192 installed at the Expo. ExporTT, a State Agency of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, is managing the Trinidad and Tobago pavilion under the theme “Experience the Energy, Creativity and Diversity that is uniquely Trinidad and Tobago: Many Hearts, Many Voices, One Vision.”
The Pavilion features several of our locally manufactured products such as rums, aromatic bitters, chocolates, fine flavoured cocoa chocolates, sauces and beverages as well as our national instruments and virtual reality tours of popular tourism destinations in Trinidad and Tobago. The Pavilion also features Tobago’s tourism sector, where the island’s potential as an extraordinary eco-tourism destination is marketed. A variety of local artisan jewellery, craft items and Tobago-branded souvenirs are also on display.
Other members of the delegation include Deputy Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Watson Duke, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Simone Thorne-Mora Quinones – Head of the Cultural Contingent; Senior Technical Adviser in the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Carla Cupid; Chairman of Tourism Trinidad Limited, Clifford Hamilton; General Manager, exporTT, Dhanraj Harrypersad; Vice President, Investments, invesTT, Pramilla Ramdahani; and Chief Executive Officer of Tobago Tourism Agency, Louis Lewis.
