Sir Richard is here

IF SIR RICHARD Branson’s landing in Tobago on Monday is any indication, then the island’s ailing tourism may be in for a big British boost. The unconventional English billionaire created quite a stir of excitement when he arrived with the inaugural flight of his airline, Virgin Atlantic Airways, from London. It was immediately obvious that Sir Richard does not fit the stereotype of the prim and proper British businessman, that he is a creative, energetic and aggressive entrepreneur with an exceptional zest for life, the kind of connection, hopefully, that Tobago’s stagnating tourist economy badly needs.

When “Tinkerbell”, Virgin's Boeing 747 jet landed at Crown Point, Sir Richard emerged waving a TT flag and sporting a dhashiki fashioned after our national colours. Then he proceeded to star at the inaugural celebrations which included a Carnival-type fete at the Tobago Hilton. Later, Sir Richard changed into a Robinson Crusoe outfit and went froliking on No Man’s Land beach with some of the local lovelies. The performance by the 43-year-old Virgin chairman was a smart and spectacular selling job, in keeping with his avowed intention to have the airline flying into Tobago “for the long haul.” Anyone knowing Sir Richard's background and his achievement in establishing a varied global business empire in just over two decades will also know that Virgin's entry into Tobago must have implications for BWIA, the TT airline now experiencing heavy financial turbulence. From a student magazine at Stowe School which he started at age 17 and, later, a small mail order record company, Sir Richard developed Virgin into the third most recognised brand in Britain. Virgin, in fact, now boasts of becoming the first global brand name of the 21st century. Sir Richard's empire now encompasses investments in planes, trains, finance, soft drinks, music, mobile phones, holidays, cars, wines, publishing and bridal wear. Virgin has expanded into more than 200 companies worldwide, employing over 25,000 persons, with total revenues exceeding US $5 billion in 1999.

“We look for opportunities where we can offer something better, fresher and more valuable, and we seize them,” says the Virgin objective. “We often move into areas where the customer has traditionally received a poor deal and where the competition is complacent.” In flying directly into Tobago from London, Sir Richard's airline, in fact, seems to have stolen a march on home-based BWIA which, one expected, would have been the first international carrier to set up such a service. Now, the local outfit, whose fate seems to hang in the balance, must face competition on its trans-Atlantic route from a vigorous Virgin apparently bent on expansion. How this situation will work out, is left to be seen. Sir Richard, himself, was guarded in his observations about BWIA, saying simply that Virgin was not normally interested in on-going companies but, “if the Government ever said to us they wanted us to invest in Trinidad in the airline industry, we'll certainly talk to them about it.” Maybe in his own way, Sir Richard was opening a door for the government or the beleaguered TT airline. What can they possibly lose in talking to Virgin with its huge assets, its world-wide experience and its lust to expand? Regardless of what happens here, the arrival of Virgin in Tobago and its plan to sustain the UK connection “for the long haul” must be seen as a significant and potentially beneficial development. We expect that the THA will now move expeditiously to expand the Crown Point terminal to comfortably accommodate the expected influx of visitors, in keeping with the island's economic development.