Tobago hoteliers: 50% occupancy rate for carnival

WITH Tobago’s carnival just over a week away, the island’s accommodation sector is reporting varying occupancy rates, depending on the type of establishment.

But at this point it is unclear whether the bookings reflect actual numbers of people coming to Tobago to play mas and party, as opposed to those providing services for various entities associated with carnival, Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association (THTA) president Alpha Lorde said.

“Some hotels are showing an increase in occupancy with an average amongst members of about 50 per cent,” he said in a brief WhatsApp message on Wednesday.

But he quickly pointed out, “Some of this occupancy is not directly related to revellers but is supported by institutions providing services to the carnival.”

Jason Martin, general manager of Magdalena Grand Beach & Golf Resort, Lowlands, said the hotel’s occupancy rate so far is nothing to boast about. He said the hotel is currently below 50 per cent.

“Anything under 50 per cent is nothing great for us,” he told Newsday. “We are a large hotel with 200 rooms. We need to be over 50 per cent consistently to consider anything great.”

On the flip side, Martin said the owner of a guest house with ten rooms would say he has 100 per cent occupancy.

“But I have a 200-room hotel. Ten rooms for me is just about five per cent.”

He could not say if the occupancy rate at the hotel will increase by next week.

“The local traveller is very last-minute. But if I wait until last minute to book and the flight is not available, I still can’t come.”

Winston Pereira, owner and general manager of Miller’s Guest House, Buccoo, said small properties such as his appear to be doing well.

He said as far as he is aware, many of the small establishments are almost completely booked for the carnival.

“From October 26-29 we are full. Last year was pretty good, we were full as well.”

On this year’s bookings, Pereira said owing to the unpredictable nature of the industry, things could change in the twinkling of an eye.

“That is just how the business is. You could have no-shows and various other elements that contribute to persons not being able to come. But as it stands, we have more or less confirmed all.”

He said having a fully booked establishment for just about three days, though, does not cut it.

“We want a level of consistency and predictability in the industry.”

For example, Pereira observed that bookings during this year’s July-August period were “very poor” compared to previous years.

He added hoteliers and guesthouse operators are hoping they benefit from a bumper winter season.

“We are hoping that we will get the right airlift to bring people here and that CAL will be on board with us in terms of the airbridge. If those two things work, we should have a positive outlook.”

Former THTA vice president and national award recipient Carol-Ann Birchwood-James said while all establishments would like to achieve 100 per cent occupancy, she does not believe the sector will be fully booked across the board.

She also does not believe the carnival will be as successful as last year.

“You are not getting the buzz like how you got it last year, maybe because last year was the first carnival out of the pandemic for TT. But I find you are not getting the buzz as you should for the carnival.

“You have a few fetes that are on, but even then you are not getting that buzz where you can come for the month and lime, go to fetes and lime right up until October 30.
"We may feel it by next week or so,” she said.

But Birchwood-James believes people will come to the island at the last minute.

“Once we have the connectivity, I think the occupancy will rise.”

THA Secretary for the Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris said one must be careful when gauging the success of Tobago’s accommodation sector.

She said people very often tend to look solely at the performance of large hotels.

Saying the sector is divided into different categories, she observed, “When people see the headlines about 40 per cent occupancy, 60 per cent, that would mainly be for one category. We have very few large hotels on the island.

“So you may look at occupancy figures for hotels and it may be somewhere around 60 per cent occupancy. But when you look at the accommodation figures for villas, you are talking about something like 80, 85, 90 per cent occupancy.”

Burris added small establishments such as guesthouses and Airbnbs have a “heavier and higher subscription rate than hotels.

“So when we talk about overall for the sector, you may be looking at 60-70 per cent occupancy maximum, based on the challenges we have with the airbridge in particular for this edition of the carnival, while smaller guesthouses are reporting 100 per cent occupancy.”

Villas, she said, are also reporting about 100 per cent.

“I think we have to take those figures into account when we have the conversation about accommodation.”

Apart from hotels, guest houses and villas, Burris many foreign-based Tobagonians visiting the island often stay at the homes of their relatives.

“Those numbers are not taken up. So that would not form part of your conversation when you talk about occupancy of the island.”

But she said it does not take away from the fact that these people are in Tobago spending money.

“They are going to fetes, restaurants, they are paying for goods and services, and that is all part of the spend that people do when they are in Tobago for carnival.”

In this regard, Burris said, the THA has to do research to determine the economic benefit of events, generally, to the island.

“It’s not just a carnival phenomenon. When you look at what happened for Heritage Festival when you have a huge amount of the diaspora coming in. When you look at what happens for the Blue Food Festival, there were a number of persons traversing to one end of the island to enjoy blue food – how do we affect the economy in that space for a short period?

“What does it mean for the indigenous service providers from that end of the island, persons who are participating in the Blue Food? It means that October, every year, is a time that they look forward to, because it means that everybody is heading to Bloody Bay to support that activity.”

She said there has to be a conversation about the worth of the events industry to Tobago’s overall economy.

The Tobago carnival takes place from October 27-29.