Sensible moves on Manta Lodge

The ceremonial handover of keys to the Manta Lodge hotel in Speyside marked an important step forward for Tobago's tourism industry.

The THA bought Manta Lodge and Sanctuary Villas in 2015 at a cost of $32 million in an effort to rescue much-needed room stock on the island and return it to productive use.

The refurbished Manta Lodge is listed as two-star accommodation, pitched at budget-conscious visitors to the island.

Of the two acquisitions, Manta Lodge was the less expensive, both as a purchase and in its refurbishing costs. Repairs were budgeted at $10 million on a purchase price of $8 million and were finally completed at a cost of $27 million, exclusive of plans to acquire additional property near the hotel to be turned into a car park to service the hotel.

The THA team in 2023 wasn't the one that began this project, and it is to the THA Chief Secretary's credit that he ensured that the hotel was brought to completion in the service of the island's tourist industry.

In doing so, Mr Augustine chose the vitality of his economy over the kind of deleterious politics that halts important works started by a rival party after an election.

The THA has also sensibly acknowledged its lack of capacity for running a hotel and is issuing a request for proposals for its management.

While the THA shouldn't be involved in its day-to-day operations, it must ensure that there are systems in place to monitor the progress of this investment and to ensure adequate returns, beyond promises of local employment.

The THA must also report on its plans for the Sanctuary Villas property, which cost $22 million and deserves equal attention as an investment to meet visitor demand.

Beyond that, the sitting THA must also demonstrate a more responsible attitude to its infrastructure programmes and a more collaborative and transparent working relationship with the central government.

In responding to a no-confidence motion brought by PNM Minority Leader Kelvon Morris last week, THA Secretary of Infrastructure Trevor James faced difficult questions about contractors and development projects since the new team of representatives took office.

The new THA executive has never responded satisfactorily to the issues surrounding its ill-advised Stage in the Sea project, which openly defied EMA requirements and cost the THA $1.75 million before almost immediately beginning to crumble under the waves.

Environmental compliance should occupy a greater profile in infrastructure development in Tobago, particularly in light of a planned five-star hotel to be constructed at Kilgwyn Bay.

Infrastructure development, inclusive of refurbishing existing but idled properties, is essential to the continued viability of Tobago's tourism economy, but the THA must proceed with a more robust commitment to transparency in its operations and ecological sustainability in the projects it undertakes.