Tourism blow for Asa Wright

THE ASA Wright Nature Centre’s closure of its eco-lodge was “a very difficult decision” to make, but was mandated by the covid19 pandemic curtailing visits by tourists, immediate past president Prof Judith Gobin told Newsday on Monday.

The news came from the centre in a statement on Monday which said, “With the closure of the borders and limited physical movement as a result of the covid19 pandemic, the Board of Management of the Asa Wright Nature Centre has taken a decision to terminate its eco-lodge business.”

Gobin told Newsday that visitors such as bird watchers staying overnight at the eco-lodge funded the centre’s conservation work such as lectures in schools. However, the pandemic has caused revenues to plummet, leading the board to take the tough decision to close the lodge.

“We rely heavily on foreign visitors, plus locals. That foreign income drove the centre. That sustained the operation and we paid staff with it.

“Otherwise we can’t sustain that staff complement.”

However, Gobin emphasised that the centre would continue its conservation work. “The business of the trust continues.”

The centre has asked the public and the corporate sector for help with funding as it receives no government subvention.

“We will have to re-evaluate the business model we had before. We’ll entertain conversations at all levels.”

She greatly lamented the laying-off of staff from the eco-lodge.

“We only had people living in the immediate area working here. This is a big blow to our staff, who we value. It’s really like breaking up a family.

“We will have to re-evaluate our operations.”

The statement said, “We have made every effort to ensure our staff were employed from March to December 2020, but as we move forward into 2021 with no insight as to what is to come, we realised we could not afford to sustain this business.

“As a result, we were forced to make the hard decision to close down, regrettably releasing all members of our staff associated with the business."

The centre is a conservation land trust, comprised of 1,500 acres of land, mainly forested, in the Arima, Guanapo and Aripo Valleys of the Northern Range. The trust’s objectives include retaining the lands under forest cover in perpetuity, protecting the community watershed and conserving and maintaining important wildlife and their habitats.

The centre's main facilities, including its eco-lodge, are on a former cocoa-coffee-citrus plantation in the Arima valley. Since 1967, the lodge has offered accommodation in cottages near the main house to local and foreign visitors alike, attracting mainly eco-tourists, nature lovers and bird watchers from all over the world.

Considered one of the top eco-lodges in the world, it was recognised in the New York Times best-seller book by Patricia Schulz 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.

The statement cited Gobin saying the trust’s board of management were all volunteers who had tried hard to keep the lodge open, but its closure was inevitable.

“With no visitors, no revenue, no endowment, and no direct governmental assistance it has been extremely challenging for the Asa Wright Nature Centre."

The statement said Gobin emphasised the trust’s conservation and protection continues and she was heartened by the response to its call for funding for this work, first made in October 2020.