Drop in Tobago visitor arrivals

He attributed this fall-off to the "over-active" unfavourable weather conditions, particularly in the area of hurricanes, which have affected the Caribbean in the recent past. Wilson noted that with predictions for more unusually bad weather in the region within the next couple years, Tobago, as a tourist destination, has to brace itself for more "bad news" in the sector. He reported, "a number of people have shied away from flying to the Caribbean, and it’s also unfortunate that people have looked at Cancun, which is in the Gulf of Mexico, and classified it as the Caribbean. So that anything that is west of the UK is considered to be the Caribbean, apparently, and we have been terribly disadvantaged by that erroneous perception. And therefore I would think that we have had some very bad results with respect to arrivals in the last two or three months mainly because of those weather conditions", the Tourism Secretary told reporters at Thursday’s regular post-Executive Council meeting press briefing.

Additionally, he said it was expected that with the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Germany in June, a number of Europeans who would have normally visited the Caribbean would obviously stay at home and travel within Europe. In the circumstances, Wilson said visitor arrivals during next summer would not be in keeping with expectations. "So that, we can look forward to a summer that is not in keeping with the kind of expectations that we would want next year!" he asserted.

However, the Tourism Secretary noted that it wasn’t all "bad news" in the island’s tourism sector. On the plus side, he disclosed that Virgin Atlantic Airways had indicated their intention to operate an additional flight from winter next year. He revealed that Tobago has been adjudged the Best Eco Destination for an unprecedented third straight year, while Coco Reef Resort and Spa has again emerged as the Best Hotel in the Caribbean.

With respect to local air transportation, Wilson asserted that "we have not given up on finding a permanent solution to the air bridge situation." He explained that the THA has been "working very closely" with the domestic air carrier Tobago Express. In this regard, Wilson reported that officials of the Assembly are scheduled to meet today with Tobago Express General Manager George Bell and Chairman Nelson Tom Yue "to discuss how best the THA could work with Tobago Express, if at all that is possible, to ensure that the people of Trinidad and Tobago get the best possible service on the domestic route."