Allison Ferguson, Marketing & PR Director Canada, Aviareps and Nazie Mohammed,
Sales Executive, Canada, Caribbean Airlines
Angella Kerr, Accounting Coordinator; Robert Lambert, Supervisor, Travel Agent Services; and Bernadine D'Souza, Manager, Training & Development from The Travel Agent Next Door with Courtney A. Samuels, Manager, Marlin Travel
Joel Jack, Secretary of Finance & Enterprise Development and Tracy Davidson Celestine, Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary of Tourism & Transportation, Tobago House of Assembly
Traditional Tobagonian dance
Tobago isn’t a new destination but the travel trade hasn’t known what to do with it. Such was the talk swirling around last week’s presentation held by Destination Tobago at Toronto’s Intercontinental Hotel.
Several agents mentioned that they’ve received no information on the destination and thus weren’t offering it to clients. So, the event set out to inform, reposition and encourage more Canadian tourism and investment.
Pegging Tobago as ‘the true Caribbean,’ representatives touted the island’s diversity in accommodations, beaches and festivals. Accommodations range from bed and breakfast lodges such as the Cuffie River Nature Retreat, to full-service hotels such as the Magdalena Grand Beach Resort. Of course, Tobago’s white sandy beaches and the variety of activities offered on the island, such as off-road motorcycle tours, fishing, sailing and horseback riding were also highlighted.
Tracy Davidson Celestine, Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary of Tourism & Transportation, Tobago House of Assembly, said that Tobago’s mission is to encourage agents to sell the destination and position it to their clients as a Caribbean hot spot.
“Tobago offers a variety of things including rich history, unique culture and biodiversity,” Celestine said. “We want everyone to have a taste of what the island has to offer.”
The one thing that Tobago is missing however is direct flights from Canada and this could potentially deter clients from visiting.
Celestine classified the island as a 2-in-1 destination saying that travellers will get to experience both Tobago and Trinidad on their trip which will hopefully offset the direct flight issue.
“There are many airlines that offer routes to Port of Spain in Trinidad. From there, travellers can connect to Tobago by ferry,” Celestine said. “This means that your clients will visit 2 islands in one trip.”
The daily ferry service between Port of Spain, Trinidad and Scarborough, Tobago takes approximately 2.5 hours and includes dining and bars on board. A return ticket costs USD16. There is also daily air service run by Caribbean Airlines. The flight duration is 20-minutes and return tickets cost USD48.
Having no direct-service may be an inconvenience to some Canadian travellers, but since Tobago is a ‘new’ destination among the travel trade, clients are likely to eat it up said Courtney A. Samuels, Manager, Marlin Travel.
“We’ve got clients who want something fresh and exciting,” Samuels said. “Tobago is a different market offering great experiences and even though there are no direct flights, it won’t be difficult to sell because it is something that hasn’t been offered before.”
“However, if there was a direct flight, it would sell out,” Samuels added.
