Hotel group: Planning for Oct Carnival too slow

Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association vice president Carol-Ann Birchwood-James is calling for more "concrete information" to be released to the public for the inaugural Tobago October Carnival. She warned that if Tobago does not seize the moment, people's interest would wander elsewhere.

Last Friday, the newly installed 15-member Tobago Carnival committee, headed by chairman Meisha Trim, hosted its first news conference. The committee was appointed two weeks ago and is charged with organising the Carnival, scheduled for October 28-30, 2022.

Trim said the October Carnival will be 72 hours of pure bliss, but will not be competitive in nature. And while a schedule is yet to be posted, nor has a budget been finalised, Carnival lovers are expected to experience, pan, calypso, mas, fetes and elements showcasing Tobago’s rich culture, heritage and history.

The committee was scheduled to begin its work on Monday.

Speaking with Newsday on Monday, Birchwood-James said the hotel association is yet to meet to discuss this event.

“We want to hear concrete plans, so we wait for the details which we think are short in coming.”

“We have to know the itinerary and all of that, but we are late. We are very, very late.

"There is Carnival in Miami early October (7-10), and they already have their itinerary; there is some kind of Carnival in Guyana also in October, and their itinerary is already out – and we are saying that we have a committee that would start to work on May 30. Something is not right there.”

She added: “We are too slow; people have bought into the Carnival. We would lose some of the interest if we don’t act fast.”

Chairman of the Tobago Promoters Association (TPA) Erlan Clarke said he is looking forward to having some discussions with his committee.

“I am hoping to meet with my committee later this week – sometime around Wednesday or Thursday hopefully, once all goes well.”

He said they are prepared for such discussions and are awaiting details from the committee. He said from these discussions, promoters across the island would be then engaged for further discussions and planning.

Some Carnival stakeholders have already expressed disagreement with the committee's decision not to host competitions.

TUCO president Ainsley King and Salisha James, Pan Trinbago chairman, Tobago region, told Newsday their members want to compete. King described the committee's decision as a "miscalculation" while James said she hoped the committee would reconsider.

Although the THA events are limited to 72 hours, it is anticipated that there will be fetes in the weeks leading up to the Carnival.

Hoteliers can expect an influx of visitors similar or even exceeding Easter numbers.

However, accommodation remains an issue as hoteliers said they were forced to turn away visitors this year as they had reached capacity.

Villas remain the preferred choice of accommodation for visitors as they are usually at 100 per cent capacity during peak periods.