Occupancy less than 50% for jazz

As Tobago heads into another Tobago Jazz Experience (TJE) this weekend, the accommodation sector of the industry is struggling to hit the 50 percent mark in occupancy rates.

Even with the return of the T&T Spirit passenger ferry vessel to the seabridge and Caribbean Airlines making flights available to move visitors, operators and guests houses say it will take more than this, and even international headline acts for the festival - Fantasia and Ne-Yo - to restore the confidence of the domestic market.

TJE will begin at Speyside tomorrow with reggae artistes Tarrus Riley and Tanya Stephens as headline acts, followed by Sunday’s World Music International Night at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park, featuring R&B and Soul singers, Ne-Yo, Anthony Hamilton and Fantasia.

President of the Tobago Unique Bed and Breakfast and Self-Catering Association Kaye Trotman said members have indicated a poor occupancy rate for jazz.

“I am surprised that the level of booking is so bad at this time, I don’t know what to think of it because there is the return of the T&T Spirit, we are watching its performance and Caribbean Airlines is doing its best.”

Trotman said it some time for the domestic market to rebuild its confidence.

“The level of confidence that has been eroded over the year has been so deep that we really have to extend our efforts in Tobago but only time can really change that and probably the jazz period is not the best time to fully regenerate that.”

A spokesperson at Plantations Beach Villas said nothing has changed as regards occupancy rates over the past week with just one villa booked for jazz, even with the return of the T&T Spirit.

“This is lower than last year. We have a policy that we don’t take a reservation until they tell us they have a ticket to come to Tobago and return to Trinidad. Since the return of the boat there were two delays so far, and now people are saying that they are waiting for all the minor problems on the boat to be fixed first before they travel again.

“The jazz festival is a little too close for people to regain that trust to use the inter-island transportation service. The demand to come to Tobago is so low that even if the ferry is back, it’s not filled so this year jazz is a lost cause,” the spokesperson said.

Jimmy’s Holiday Resort reported an occupancy rate at 45 percent, with a spokesperson there suggesting that it will take time for the trust of the traveling public to return.

“Our occupancy rate was 96 percent last year (for jazz) but for this year the enquires are still there but people are sceptical about the air and sea bridge issues. We are now coming out of these issues although we are trying out best and making amendments to encourage them to come here,” the spokesperson said.

For Blue Waters Inn in Speyside, however, the news was good, with occupancy rate at 100 percent. A spokesperson there seabridge fears have affected bookings generally but for jazz, the Inn usually records 100 percent occupancy rate as the guest artistes performing at the Speyside jazz event and Tobago House of Assembly officials reserve most of the rooms. The Inn has been fully booked for this weekend since the jazz dates were released in March, a spokesperson said.

Back in Crown Point, a representative at the 24-room Kariwak Village Hotel reported a 25 percent occupancy rate on Wednesday. The representative said the hotel was hoping for last minute reservations for jazz, and had expected more reservations with the return of the fast ferry but that businesses generally remain unusually quiet in the Crown Point area.

A spokesperson at the Crown Point Hotel said many regular guests for the Tobago jazz have decided to stay away from the TJE this year because of their dissatisfaction with the quality of the event itself, while others had problems to buy confirmed tickets to travel to and from Tobago. The hotel is currently at 58 percent occupancy rate; a 15 percent decline from 2017 jazz season with no expectations of any late reservations before the event.

Meanwhile in Castara, Brian Taylor, President of the Castara Tourism Development Association, said with the removal of Jazz in The North, guest houses, inns and hotels in area will not benefit from this year’s jazz festival.

“Usually we would record a high occupancy rate when Jazz in the North is hosted in the Castara,” Taylor told Newsday Tobago on Wednesday.

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