President of the T&T Chamber of Commerce, Ian Collier made this call Friday during a lunch seminar on Trinidad And Tobago,
"I would hope that the Barbados private sector knows, expects, understands, and accepts that Trinidad and Tobago welcome you all to Trinidad and Tobago, and to give serious consideration to investing in it," he said.
In doing so, Collier said investors would have access to Trinidad's 1.3 million consumers who had a per capita basis with an average of US$14 000 to spend.
He added T&T also had a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$18 billion, and the economy doubled over the last five years, with an average growth rate 8 per cent. It also showed 12 per cent growth last year, and it is projected that there will be eight per cent growth this year.
Collier said Barbadian investors could also capitalise on markets through which the twin-island state was now trying to diversify its economy away from the traditional energy sector.
Those markets include yachting, fish, and fish processing, merchant marine, film, music and entertainment, printing and packaging, food and beverage.
Construction sector
In addition, Collier said there was room for Barbadian investors in the country's construction industry, room for those providing building materials, specialty decorative materials, hotel, villa and condo development.
Describing Barbadians as "task masters" in the tourism field, Collier also invited tourism investors to the twin-island state so that they too could benefit from that sector.
"You are very involved with expertise in hotel, villa and condo development, conference facilities, cruise industry and facilities, cuisine, heritage site presentation and policies, specialty tours, entertainment, craft, golf, duty free shopping, agricultural specialties, legislative frameworks, ports of entry, customer service," he said.
The president told those in attendance that T&T was a gateway into Latin America, with an enabling business environment with economic policy reforms a truly liberalised economy, an enabling financial services sector, liberalisation of foreign exchange controls, tariff reductions, modernisation of legal framework by way of a new companies act.
"We invite you to give serious thought to come to Trinidad and Tobago and make money. Several Bajan businesses are already here," he said.
He added that interested investors could contact the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce for facilitation assistance.
juliarawlins @nationnews.com