Tobago toots ecotourism horn

This change in tact came out of the recently concluded 7th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development at the Tobago Hilton, where some of the island’s stakeholders were made privy to the ideas and successes of some of its Caribbean competitors.

According to Brian Mullis, President of Sustainable Travel International, eco-tourists were looking for more than the sun, sea and sand experience.

As an emerging ecotourism destination, Tobago already has several key awards under its belt: the Caribbean World Magazine 2002 Best Caribbean Eco Resort Award, Blue Waters Inn; the Travel Awards Committee 2003 Best Eco Destination in the World for the Main Ridge Forest Reserve which is the oldest protected rain forest in the Western hemisphere; World Travel Awards 2004 Best Eco Resort, Blue Haven Hotel; and Best Eco Destination in the World 2004.

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association, Rene Seepersadsingh insists that Tobago is in an advantageous position since it is a "late comer" into the Tourism arena and as a result is still relatively unspoilt unlike some of its competitors.

Seepersadsingh said however, that for the island to become a successful eco-tourism destination several key factors had to be put in place. This, he said, included the implementation of legislation to protect particular ecotourism sites and their inhabitants, wider educational programmes, the development and maintenance of particular sites and proper training for tour guides and other personnel and strategic, effective marketing.

Another feather in its cap came from MSNBC Travel which described the island as one of the top ten eco-wonderlands in the world. The article, according to TIDCO, appeared in Sport Diver Magazine and it lists Tobago along with a number of other premium eco-destinations including, mainland Honduras and Roatan in the Bay Islands of Honduras, Dominica, Moorea and Tahiti.