THTA: Tobago’s tourism industry unfairly under attack

“In recent times, statements have been made that do not align with what the Association knows to be the facts concerning its industry,” James argued.

He pointed out that statistics from TripAdvisor, the world’s largest, independent review site, “shows clearly...that Tobago performs better in all areas than the regional (Caribbean) average.” James said based on the TripAdvisor data, “it is clear” that Tobago ranks above the regional average in terms of Cleanliness, Location, Room Quality, Sleep Quality, Service and Value.

While acknowledging that there is always room for improvement, James reiterated his call for urgent attention to be paid to proper destination marketing.

“Tobago’s decline can be attributed mainly to the lack of destination marketing. At World Travel Market in November 2016, tour operators complained that in the past 12 months, little to no Tobago destination marketing had been undertaken. Money has been spent, but it has been wasted.” James cited the June 15 to 22, 2015 inaugural edition of the British Airways (BA) Tobago Football Legends Challenge at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet.

According to James, “the BA Legends promotion, with its heavy price tag, resulted in no tangible benefit to the industry in Tobago.

“The THTA has been repeating, for the past ten years, that without true and meaningful collaboration with private sector stakeholders on all marketing initiatives, money will continue to be badly spent.” James cited the February 2007 Land Licence Order which prevents foreign direct investment in Tobago without a licence as when the problems really began for the tourism industry.

“The process to obtain a licence is slow and a major disincentive which has had a knock-on effect with local investors...Ten years on, and with international arrivals a massive 80 percent down on 2007 figures, we have an industry in Tobago that is barely surviving and yet still finds itself under further attack for lack of re-investment.” Referring to the ongoing low energy prices, James noted that tourism now has an even more important role to play in the national economy.