Paula Lindo – Our histories, stories, present, future.

“Rock It to Soccolo,” the Port of Spain to Paramin tour being held on May 7 by final year Tourism Management students at the T&T Hospitality and Tourism Institute, promises to be an enlightening, educational and exciting experience.

Lecturer Kathryn McConnie said the Port-of-Spain leg of the tour leaves the Cruise Ship Complex in Port of Spain at 12:30 pm. It will feature areas such as Independence Square, King Street, “the whole history of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the Railway, the Red House and Woodford Square, Trinity Cathedral, all the way around the Queen’s Park Savannah, you’ll get the story of the Peschier family and the Peschier ghost in the Savannah. They’ll also get the stories of the winding of the clock in the Trinity Cathedral and the petition that was signed for that, the Water Riots, then they’ll continue through Maraval where they’ll hear about the Grenadian man who was responsible for bringing the French to Trinidad. They’re going to get a lot of historical information that they would never have known before, all the way back to the 1800s.” This part of the tour should take about an hour and 15 minutes, with the guests being driven around in maxis, each with its own tour guide. McConnie said the buses would leave promptly, whether or not all the guests were there, as she has taught the students that time is critical.
Class representative Shammah Taylor said the guests will then be taken in jeeps up to Paramin, where they will tour the Our Lady of Guadeloupe RC Church, followed by the Soucouyant grounds. They will then be taken to Barre La Vigie, on the fourth highest mountain of the Northern Range, “where they can see the Caribbean Sea, Saut D’eau Island, Tobago and on a very clear day they can even see Grenada.” This is expected to take about two hours and will be followed by a grand reception at Soccolo Peak.
Taylor was excited by the variety of food and beverages that will be available at the reception, especially as all the catering will be done in Paramin. She also raved about the entertainment, also from the community, which will include traditional folk characters such as the Dame Lorraine and the Paramin Blue Devils, as well as music and dancing. In addition, there will be a stall where someone from Paramin will be selling spices and local products. At the start of the tour, the guests will also get light refreshments and a hearty snack plate. Following the festivities, the guests will be taken back to the Cruise Ship Complex for 8:30 pm. They will each receive a well-packed token bag.
While the guests are having fun, the students will be being graded on their performance, both during the planning stage, while there will be three judges along on the tour. In addition, the students will have to write individual reports after discussing and analysing the process. McConnie said it’s a big grade and anyone who doesn’t do well will have to repeat. Taylor said, as final year students, this assessment project is a big part of whether they graduate or not, and of course, they all want to graduate. McConnie said she has worked with the students all through the year to make sure the experience will be a quality one. An emphasis is placed on local guides being used, and the money going back into the community, as the students are studying sustainable tourism. In addition, McConnie said domestic tourism is important so “Trinidadians can establish pride in our country, and an important part of Trinidadians selling our country, and every time we’ve done it, people always says they want to come back, they learned so much, they want to do it again and so it’s a great selling opportunity for the students, they learn a lot on how to promote their own country.”
McConnie said she chose the Port of Spain to Paramin tour because she thought it would be ideally suited to the students, a lot of whom are from South Trinidad. “My rationale is that it’s an easy sell because many people have never been and it’s always exciting, but more so because it would be easy to sell the tickets to their families and friends.” She said every year she tries to come up with a different tour that she thinks will be suited to the students. “It should be a lot of fun and I think people are going to learn a lot from it and certainly enjoy everything that Paramin has to offer. It’s a very warm and friendly family community and the people are always excited to have people come in and see what they’re doing.”
Tickets cost $400 and are all inclusive. Start time is 12:30 pm on May 7 at the Cruise Ship Complex, Port of Spain. Secured parking is available and the tour ends at 8:30 pm. For further information, call 634-1315/4250/4456.