Tobago hoteliers say if Government is serious about developing tourism, the island’s aiport must be upgraded, airline agreements signed and there must be better marketing of the country.
They said so after Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism Vidiah Ramkhelawan announced implementation of a structured certification programme to build profitability in the sector.
Ramkhelawan, who spoke at a stakeholder forum at Cara Suites Hotel, Claxton Bay, said tourism has potential to become a major income generator for T&T and Government plans to focus on visitor safety and security, environmental conservation and assistance to small tourist operators.
She added that tourism is being put on the front burner.
“We are under no illusions about the highly competitive nature of the local and international tourism market but we are convinced that T&T can become a major tourism player,” she said.
However, she warned: “If the quality of our service and infrastructure is not up to par with what is expected internationally, visitors will go internationally.”
Several hoteliers agreed that more needed to be done to upgrade the local tourism industry.
Kenneth Patino, who owns Enchanted Waters in Tobago, said Government must first try to remove negative travel advisories.
“The word has to get out that it is no longer negative to travel to Tobago as a destination,” he said.
Patino added that Government must sign agreements with airlines for direct flights into Tobago.
“We are doing our best to market ourselves internationally on Tripadvisor, booking.com and Facebook but when people see us online, they cannot get here because there is no proper flight,” he said.
Patino said there is need a good marketing strategy to bring more tourists to the islands. He said in years gone by, 85 per cent of his guests were foreigners but now he was getting 90 per cent locals. He added that Crown Point Airport is in a dire need of an upgrade.