Reggie Kieda, Tobago Tourism's Canadian PR rep, with the Administrator,
Claire Davidson Williams
Theodore Greig of Ted's Sunshine Enterprises & Tours with Tobago Tourism's Marketing Manager, Avion Hercules
Kerryann Douglas of Frontier Divers &
Trevor Akan of Classic Tobago Tours
Visiting Tobago musicians took to the
Jazz Bistro stage
In the 2013 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report performed by the World Economic Forum, Trinidad & Tobago ranked 8th in the top 10 unfriendliest destinations. But at a recent luncheon held at a new YTO venue, the Jazz Bistro, the 12 visiting Tobago reps were singing a different tune.
I felt nothing but warmth and welcomed at the event. Perhaps it was the musician banging out island beats on the steel drum who whisked my imagination to a sunny, tropical resort. Unfriendliest destination? I declare a recount!
“We ranked high on culture, communications and other pillars of the study,” said Claire Davidson Williams, the Administrator for the Tobago House of Assembly’s Division of Tourism & Transportation (Tobago Tourism). “It leaves a lot of questions.”
Trinidad’s population is 1.35 million, whereas Tobago’s is 55,000. According to Williams, if the 2 islands were ranked separately, she believes that the results for Tobago alone would have come out differently.
“It’s unfortunate that we were seen as an unfriendly destination,” said Avion Hercules, Tobago Tourism’s Marketing Manager. Hercules says that island is constantly working on improving its product and the relationship it has with its visitors. “Tourism is key to Tobago,” she said.
Ongoing programs such as the Service Training Attitude & Respect Program offer the destination’s frontline staff, such as police and immigration officers, customer service workshops. The Tobago Hospitality & Tourism Institute is earmarked for tourism training across the entire island. Students also receive lessons in tourism awareness.
Tobago hasn’t hosted a Canadian roadshow since 2007. But since WestJet inaugurated a service to POS this past December, it makes sense that the team has come out of hibernation. Currently, visitors must take an inter-island flight from POS to TAB, which adds about 30 minutes to the entire trip. But according to Williams, negotiations are currently being finalized for a Canadian airline to offer direct, non-stop service from YYZ to TAB. Shhh… it’s a secret! But since I’ve shared it with you, all the more reason why your clients should take on their slogan, “I got to go to Tobago!”
So, Tobago or not Tobago? I think we all know the answer to that!
