00:00Tourism Secretary Tasha Burris describes the launch of the Tourism Scholarship Program as the highlight of her four-year tenure.
00:08She says the program reflects her administration's focus on long-term development of the sector, particularly through investment in people.
00:17I can say to you standing here, six days shy of the meeting office, that this is actually my proudest moment.
00:25I've cut many ribbons. I have given many speeches. I've sat on stages, big and small, representing Tobago.
00:39But in this room in the Scarborough Library, surrounded by all of you who have accepted this invitation to come this evening,
00:46we are sharing in something very, very special.
00:50Burris also pushed back against claims that the Tobago House of Assembly is to blame for current challenges facing tourism on the island.
00:59Even though we started really, really excited out of the gate in 2022, and we put in the word to get the numbers up,
01:09our gains have been scaled back because of things beyond our control, the oil spill, the shark attack, the SOE.
01:17And that told me that gains in the tourism sector can easily be scaled back by things that are outside of your control.
01:26And that in the last few months, I've spent the time really building the capacity in the division,
01:31so that this program to me is the culmination of the start of a legacy that I think can be continued.
01:38She noted that tourism remains a key pillar of Tobago's economy, contributing an estimated 14% of GDP
01:47through direct international arrivals and up to 25% when indirect and domestic tourism are included.
01:56Appointed under the Farley-Augustine Lead Assembly, Burris says she never intended to serve beyond a single four-year term.
02:05To be honest with you, I always thought that four years was all I needed to be able to set the foundation for the next person to run the next leg of the race.
02:14Where we're at now is a very fragile place in terms of what's happening in the geopolitics and, you know, being able to build on the successes that we have experienced in the last four years.
02:24So if I am offered that opportunity, it's something that I would seriously consider.
02:28I do have a family to consider. I do have other options as well.
02:32I mean, I have given 23 years dedicated service to the people of Tobago.
02:36Sometimes I think I just need a little rest first, but I guess there is no rest for the worries.
02:41Responding to critics who argue more could have been done to boost the sector,
02:47Burris dismissed what she described as unconstructive commentary.
02:52We came out of COVID. We were the second to last destination internationally, not regionally,
02:58not on this side of the hemisphere, internationally to open ourselves to international flights.
03:03That was January of 2022. First year, 2022, we had over 9,000 international visitors. Second year, 2023, we had 14,000 international visitors.
03:132024, we had 24,000 international visitors, which indicates sustained growth. In 2024, we had an oil spill. We had a shark attack.
03:24An SOE was declared at the end of 2024. All of those things that were directly outside of my control and the control of the Tobago House of Assembly naturally would affect our numbers.
03:36Addressing concerns about security and tourism, the secretary said the state of emergency, not the installation of the military radar systems, has had a greater impact on visitor arrivals.
03:49One thing that people probably don't know is that if a destination is under a state of emergency, persons who want to visit that destination cannot get travel insurance.
03:58That is a consideration that also makes our destination unattractive to people who want to visit.
04:05So if they say I didn't do enough, trust that I did everything humanly possible to move the needle in the right direction. Was it enough? I could tell you it's never enough.
04:17The tourism scholarship program was officially launched at the Scarborough Library on Wednesday.
04:22It aims to build Tobago's human capital across tourism, culture, antiquities and transportation through education and skills training.
04:32Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
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