Chamber: 500% increase in business for Tobago carnival

THE TOBAGO Chamber of Industry & Commerce has given the island’s second October carnival a perfect score.

During a news conference on Wednesday at the party’s headquarters, Mc AL Building, Milford Road, Scarborough, chamber president Curtis Williams said there were no losers in the carnival.

He said everyone, from the roadside vendor to major hoteliers, benefited.

In terms of trade, Williams said, bar owners, promoters, supermarket owners and wholesalers reported a 500 per cent increase in earnings from last year.

Businessmen in the entertainment sector also reported a 500 per cent increase in earnings over the period.

“So we definitely see there is somewhat of an upward trend going forward in terms of sales.”

Saying the chamber was very happy there were no reports of serious crimes over the carnival weekend, Williams applauded the work of the security team and the Tobago Emergency Management Agency.

The chamber’s vice president Demi John Cruickshank, who also addressed the briefing, said the accommodation sector reported near record occupancy levels.

“All the villas, all of the hotels, we spoke to the hotel association they indicated that they were close to 100 per cent occupancy across the board. So again, that augurs well for the carnival,” he said.

Cruickshank also praised the T&T Inter-Island Transportation Company, which, he said, “did exceptionally well in terms of what they did in terms of moving people between the islands.

“We did not hear, at any point in time, that you had a backlog on the port. I think that is historic in terms of this carnival and even on the island on a whole because in the past we would have had problems, bacchanal, people saying that they missed their sailings. That did not happen.”

He said from October 25-31, the ferries moved 17, 410 passengers and 5,405 vehicles over the carnival weekend.

Cruickshank said although they have not yet received the figures for Caribbean Airlines, “people did not have a problem travelling between the islands with CAL.

“It moved the people that they promised us that they will move. So between CAL and the Port Authority, I want to say kudos to them.”

He said taxi operators and car rental agencies also reported being fully booked.

Cruickshank said although there were some hiccups, “I know that as we go forward in 2024, 2025, 2026, that things will improve and only can get better.”

He added, “It was an exceptionally well-put-together weekend. The visitors that came to the island, both foreign and local, meaning Trinidadians, they all indicated to us that they had an excellent time in Tobago.

“From the business point of view, we could not have asked for better than what we had over this weekend.”

Williams commended the THA Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation for its decision to employ people to gather data from visitors concerning their impressions of the carnival.

He said the chamber hopes to meet with culture secretary Tashia Burris and other tourism stakeholders as soon as possible to discuss plans for next year’s carnival, which is expected to take place from October 25-27.