THA approach to tourism not 'top-down'

Kinnesha George-Harry

Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles has assured local stakeholders their input is highly valued as the THA seeks to develop a tourism industry that will attract the world. He was speaking at last Friday’s tourism stakeholders meeting at the Mt Irvine Bay Resort titled Breakfast with the Chief.

The meeting was an opportunity for discussion among the Chief Secretary, Secretary of Tourism, Culture and Transportation Nadine Stewart-Phillips, CEO of the Tobago Tourism Agency Louis Lewis and Tobago’s tourism industry leaders.

Charles described the venture as "the continuation of a mutually beneficial process.”

As he addressed the stakeholders, Charles said the assembly’s approach to Tobago’s tourism development is not a “top-down approach” and, as such, he feels it is critical that all involved come together to not only air grievances but also make suggestions on charting a way forward.

“At the end of the day, the THA alone cannot effect change. We must all do our individual and collective parts to strengthen our tourism sector,” Charles stressed.

Owner and manager of Asha Mars Weddings Asha Mars-Lewis, in her contribution, noted that the wedding-tourism niche has the potential to contribute significantly to the destination product and generate on-island revenue.

Mars-Lewis, who has run her wedding consultancy on the island for the past ten years, said the destination wedding market in Tobago presents lucrative business opportunities for a myriad of stakeholders. However, she urged her colleagues to improve standards of operations and their online presence, as many international clients are now opting to “import” services from outside the island.

Owner and manager of Waterholics Alex Nedd cautioned that these efforts could be in vain if the visitor experience on the ground did not meet expectations. He cited the “touting situation” at Store Bay as one that required urgent attention.

Nedd’s concern was echoed by Sergeant Susan Guy, head of the Tourism Policing Unit, who outlined the challenges faced in ensuring the comfort of visitors in the space. Guy pleaded with the THA to put systems in place that would address the issue.

In response, Charles said existing reef-tour operations policies will be reviewed towards the implementation of legislation, if necessary.