New tourism tagline: ‘Tobago, go beyond ordinary’

An exercise to rebrand Tobago has produced a new tagline – Tobago, go beyond ordinary - which is to be launched this month locally, and next month at the World Travel Market.

So announced Tourism Secretary Nadine Stewart-Phillips at last Wednesday’s post Executive Council media briefing at the Victor E Financial Complex in Scarborough.

“The new tagline would be ‘Tobago, go beyond ordinary.’ Clean, green, safe and serene is the THA’s brand, not the destination’s brand,” said Stewart Phillip, adding that the new tagline was replacing ‘Live the Culture, Tobago style,” which was the previous destination’s brand.

“It is in its final stage for a local launch in October and the official roll out in the international market at the World Travel Market in November.”

Stewart Phillips also announced that the THA and Government has decided from a policy perspective, that tourism was going to play a major role in the revitalisation of economy. She said the Tobago Tourism Agency Ltd (TTA), in consultation with stakeholders, has carved out a three-year road map for growth.

“Following the consultation, a period of extensive research was carried out by an international company in our source markets and from these consultations and research, various gaps were identified of which proper branding of the destination was a significant deficiency. We have now established a go to market strategy, which includes destination imagery and messages that positions Tobago competitively in a complex marketing world,” she said.

Stewart Phillips said important metrics for measuring and evaluating the performance of this rebranding would be an increase in the island’s share of audience which would eventually translate into increased visitors and on-island spending.

“In Tobago, we have finite resources, we can’t outspend our competition across the Caribbean, but of course we can outsmart then in targeting visitors,” she said.

Stewart Phillips also reported that for the first time, Tobago will be represented at the Caribbean Tourism Youth Congress, which started yesterday in the Bahamas, and that Junior Tourism Secretary Jahmore Madden - a Roxborough Secondary School student – was ready to do the island proud.

Stewart Phillips will lead the delegation to the State of the Tourism Industry conference which concludes on October 6 and is an annual event hosted by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) to facilitate discussion and meetings on action plans for the region’s tourism industry.

“The Caribbean Tourism Youth Congress forms an integral part of the conference. Each CTO member country is allowed one member as junior minister or commissioner of tourism who will make their contribution to the discussion at the Youth Congress, which is one of the vehicles through which the Caribbean Tourism Organisation encourages the best and brightest to consider tourism as a career.,” she said.

“Madden will compete for the title of Caribbean Junior Minister of Tourism and will present on virtual reality and how it would be used to enhance the value of Tobago’s tourism product, and based upon what I have seen thus far, Jahmore in ready and will represent us well as this competition,” she added.