Stakeholders: Tobago ready for carnival 2024

Tobago

Masqueraders of the band Zain Carnival Experience enjoy the parade of the bands on Milford Road, Scarborough, for Tobago Carnival 2023. - File photo by Jeff K Mayers

ALTHOUGH there are still some concerns about the availability of Caribbean Airlines flights to the island, stakeholders say Tobago is ready for carnival 2024.

During a news conference at the Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s headquarters in Scarborough on October 24, Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association (THTA) president Alpha Lorde said the accommodation sector is reporting an occupancy rate of more than 75 per cent.

This, he said, is significantly higher than the two previous Tobago carnivals.

But Lorde said there are still some challenges with the availability of CAL flights.

“Up to this morning (October 23), I had phone calls from persons saying they want to come.”

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Lorde added he also spoke to a bandleader who also said he was inundated with phone calls from people trying to get to Tobago.

“They want to come because they are seeing the hype. They are seeing the things that they didn’t see necessarily in the last two years that says the event is on. They are feeling the energy but the getting to and from has always been a challenge.”

He said while the event has grown, there is still a need to look at the structural links that will allow hotels to see their capacity in September.

“They must be able to look and say, ‘This is what I am going to look like.’ Not fill at the last minute and then have to react to it because CAL added flights at the last minute and persons were able to get on or the ferry listing got upgraded and added two more sailings a week or two before.”

Lorde said although he was pleased with the marketing approach of the Tobago House of Assembly and Tobago Festivals Commission Ltd this year, “I think it started a little later than I would have liked.

“But at least they have done what is necessary to create the buzz and that buzz has translated into demand. So I think next year, I am looking to see even bigger things coming out of them.”

Lorde said although the air and sea bridge carriers want to ensure their viability, “I think if the necessary advertising and support go hand in hand, it will get taken up easily. It is just a relationship that I think we need to continue fostering.”

He said car rental agencies are also sold out.

“So it means that the trickle-down effect that we want out of a successful tourist product is actually taking place. It is not just the hotels. It is everything that is connected to the process.”

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Demi John Cruickshank, the chamber’s vice-president, said the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT) increased sailings to meet the demand over the carnival weekend.

“The Port Authority, I must say kudos to them. We have been working closely for the last three weeks; I have been back and forth in Port of Spain talking with the chairman, Lyle Alexander. They really and truly have come up to scratch in terms of what they are doing on the sea bridge.”

Cruickshank said PATT also has been attempting to get the TT Spirit up and running but the vessel is still undergoing repairs.

“But we have a serious turnover in terms of the number of people coming. Between the APT James and the Buccoo Reef, the numbers are around 800 passengers. The Galleon Passage is about 400 passengers. So the Galleon Passage is going to run every single day.”

He added, “My message to everybody in Trinidad and Tobago who wants to get to Tobago: I think the Port is your first option. You should head to the port because CAL is reporting 100 per cent bookings for the flights that they have.”

Cruickshank said he also spoke to CAL officials on October 24.

“CAL did not leave back anybody yesterday (Wednesday). Everybody was brought up to Tobago, standbys and confirmed passengers.”

Cruickshank added yesterday’s flight 423 out of JFK airport, New York, was filled, “and all of the passengers will offload in Tobago.”

He said it appears as though the carnival will generate some much-needed business activity on the island.

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“For a number of years, we have been asking for more business activity on the island. We are seeing it coming out of the carnival. We are seeing it going down into Christmas and I hope the projection continues in the right direction because we have our bankers to pay that we have not been able to pay for a long time.”

The Tobago carnival takes place from October 25-27.