Tobago has the potential to generate significant foreign exchange for Trinidad through its tourism sector. President of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association, Reginald Mac Lean, is urging action to address a 70 percent drop in international arrivals to the island.
00:00And get Tobago back to what it used to be when we had 90,000 plus international arrivals into Tobago back in the late 80s, early 90s, into the just start of the 2000s.
00:14Not what we have today, last year being 24,500 international passengers. That's a drop of 70%.
00:23McLean says Tobago must grow and develop its tourism sector for the benefit of all, noting that the industry has been neglected for too long.
00:34It's something that has been thrown about so long that tourism has been put on the shelf for too long.
00:41Not just in Tobago, but also in Trinidad. So it's a two-pronged sword. Right now we are suffering for lack of foreign exchange.
00:51What is the easiest thing to bring foreign exchange into an economy? Tourism.
00:57What do we need to do for tourism here in Tobago to get us to that point where we produce a lot of foreign exchange? It's very simple.
01:05McLean says collaboration with government is key to reviving Tobago's tourism industry.
01:11We have a plant here on the ground in Tobago and it is very easy for us to invest some money into that, get the government involved in it by way of partnering with the association and the members of the association
01:24and giving us the necessary help to market the country one and also to get the plant up and running to what it used to be.
01:34We could have 3,000 hotel rooms, guest houses, bed and breakfasts, villas in Tobago, but at the end of the day, if those rooms are not international quality and standard, we are not going to be selling anything.
01:48After years of challenges, including a severe decline in arrivals and the impact of COVID-19, McLean says the island now has an opportunity to rebuild and start fresh.
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