Tourism stakeholders who attended Wednesday's meeting with Works and Infrastructure Minister Jearlean John and the Chief Secretary are also weighing in on the drydocking of the Cabo Star among other issues. More in this Elizabeth Williams report.
00:00We must say that the three vessels put in place for the dry docking period would really send a good signal that somebody cares about Tobago.
00:10And I just want to say thanks to the minister and her team, Port Authority, for thinking about Tobago and really putting us in the forefront.
00:17Chairman of the Tobago Arm of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Curtis Williams, as he spoke following Wednesday's meeting with Minister John and Chief Secretary Farley-Augustin.
00:31You have been speaking concerning the wrong standing issue of contractors being paid.
00:37The Chief Secretary is standing right next to you.
00:39Well, I was told that media review will be coming up, and in the conversation with the Chief Secretary and the Honorable Prime Minister and also the Finance Secretary and the Finance Minister, I can see a lot of fruits being there, and I'm looking forward to the media review.
00:56Also present during the talks was Director of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association, Alpha Lord.
01:03He and other tourism heads added their voices to the meeting on Wednesday.
01:08Well, the tourism sector has always struggled with the air and the sea bridge.
01:12I want to put that together with today's meeting.
01:14It has put us in a very positive position because we had a transparent, collaborative, and strategic meeting that now allows us to plan properly for this 21-day period that the boat would be in dry dock.
01:26I think it gives us advanced notice on how we are to prepare for it and the strategies involved to mitigate against any circumstances.
01:33Chief Secretary Farley Augustine told the TV6 News moving forward with Tobago's development agenda remains paramount.
01:41And once there is mutual respect, I can see us being able to achieve the development agenda that is required.
01:50What is also instructive is that the members of Parliament who are in the room, Tobago East and West, and the Chambers of Commerce, the other stakeholders, and of course, the THA.
02:05We are charging them with responsibility to follow up on these discussions and to ensure that the things we agreed on actually come to fruition.
02:15Stakeholders in Wednesday's meeting included representatives of the Tobago Division of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association, and the Inter-Island Truckers and Traders Association.
02:31They addressed key matters related to preserving inter-island connectivity and the efficient transport of cargo along the sea bridge.
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