Stakeholder: Tobago caters fully to German tourists

ANGELIKA Wegner, Tobago’s destination representative, German market, believes the island caters fully to the needs of its German clientele.

She was among the tourism stakeholders who attended the Internationale Tourismus-Borse (ITB), which ended on Thursday in Berlin, Germany.

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine led a Tobago delegation to the two-day event, which is regarded as the world’s leading travel trade show.

In a video released by the Office of the Chief Secretary (OCS) on Thursday, Wegner said, “Tobago can cater for a lot of the trends and also the requests that German customers have, especially now after covid. They look for privacy, they look for serene, untouched landscape and authentic culture. This is exactly what the island can offer.”

Tobago Tourism Agency Ltd (TTAL) chairman Alicia Edwards said the island’s delegation was warmly received at the event and the meetings went well.

“The German market has held space for us. All our partners are happy to see us back and they are really excited that we are here with full force…doing what we have to do and bringing and sharing the warmth of the Caribbean with the world,” she said.

Former Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association president Chris James added the delegation was very busy at the show.

“The excitement was there and things are coming back. It was great after covid to be at ITB and to see the positivity that surrounds us all.”

Gloria Jones-Knapp, general manager of the Bacolet Beach Club, said the ITB offered an opportunity to renew old contacts in the international tourist industry.

“These people need to know that you have refurbished, you looking good, and in order to do something for the future, if you are not here today, they will forget you. So we need to be here and to continue to come back.”

Theodore Greig, executive director of Ted’s Sunshine Enterprises & Tours, agreed.

“It is just a matter of being here, having a presence here, so that we could re-establish the connectivity with our existing tour operators. It is more like a PR for us at the moment.”

He said it was important to reconnect with stakeholders who have serviced Tobago in the past.

Jennifer Latuperisa Anderson, chief editor of Reisen Exclusiv magazine, described Tobago as a “very nice, secluded location.”But she said not everybody has heard of the island.

“So when they travel there they can tell their friends that they have been to a place not everybody has been to yet.”

The OCS also released photos of Augustine chatting with Lufthansa Airline’s representative Rupert Kraus and Peacock Tours of the UK CEO Kannan Sivvanathan.

Detour travel group’s representative Christian Schuette also held talks with Augustine, Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris and Edwards.