Better needed for Tobago tourism

During a discussion with the acting administrator of the Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation, Suresh Dookhoo at Wednesday's Joint Select Committee meeting it became increasingly clear that the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) was operating without access to meaningful data about its core business – tourism.

Mr Dookhoo was disturbingly vague about the THA’s plans for the recently refurbished 24-room Manta Lodge.

The decision to repair the hotel to two-star status was unquestionably sensible given Tobago's shortage of premium lodgings, but $27 million is a lot of money to spend without a clear plan for either leasing the building to a capable proprietor or selling it outright.

Manta Lodge was bought by the THA in 2015, and once renovation began, prospects for sale or professional management should have begun even as the first layers of paint were being stripped from the building.

Where there was information in the THA's presentation, it offered little good news. Tobago's first October Carnival registered a loss of $706,317.58.

Carnivals in TT are not the most robustly audited of events and clarity about revenue and costs often gets clouded by emotional and cultural considerations.

The new tourism motivated Carnival is yet to prove its value, so it was curious to hear Anselm Richards, chief technical adviser to the Division of Finance say that profit was not part of the planning for the October event.

The loss position for the Tobago Jazz Experience, a more clearly commercial enterprise is even more devastating. After spending more than $11.9 million on the event, the shows lost $6.4 million, a more clearly unsustainable proposition.

It would not be out of line for the THA to make a hard decision about where it wants to invest its cultural spending.

Deciding between an event that's never earned a profit and has like-minded competition in the wider Caribbean in multiple jazz festivals of varying authenticity and a cultural event it can stamp with a unique aesthetic and brand should be straightforward.

The THA was clearly not ready to face the JSC on Wednesday. The lack of preparation was disheartening and borderline insulting to a committee convened by Parliament.

The circumstances of the Farley Augustine's THA slate are shaky enough after the break with the PDP, and his representatives need to be ready to present strategies and planning backed by robust data.

JSC member Laurence Hislop was correct to express concerns that last October's Carnival was still being evaluated with just four months left before it is likely to be staged again.

It's unacceptable for the THA to operate in such a disorganised and haphazard manner in reporting on the Tobago's most crucial business model.

Having sought a position of leadership, it is incumbent on the assembly to lead Tobago with clearly articulated plans founded on realistic numbers.