00:00The Secretary of Finance has already released the funds to treat with the marketing associated with onboarding those new flights
00:07and that's something that I'm excited about.
00:10So we're looking at essentially about three or four new destinations to direct flights to Tobago, which I think is
00:18important for the industry.
00:19The Chief Secretary says additional investment is also needed to improve beach facilities, hiking trails, waterfalls and room stock as
00:29part of efforts to strengthen the island's tourism product.
00:32Education is also high on the Tobago House of Assembly's agenda.
00:37Augustine says the funding for the long-awaited construction of the new Scarborough Secondary School remains a priority as the
00:45island continues to press for critical infrastructure projects.
00:49The priority of us, one, is Scarborough Secondary School. I'm insisting that we are going to start construction in this
00:58fiscal year, which means getting to the place of awarding a contract before the end of September this year so
01:07we can get moving on that.
01:08Beyond infrastructure, the Chief Secretary says Tobago wants to broaden opportunities for athletes by investing in non-traditional sports while
01:18continuing discussions on greater autonomy for the island.
01:22Given that we have been saying we want greater autonomy, we have to demonstrate that by taking greater responsibility for
01:30the things we need and getting it done ourselves.
01:33So that, to me, has to be a significant priority. I want to see a priority in advancing non-traditional
01:43sports for our young people and also providing for some sports that we don't now provide for.
01:50So, for example, I think greater provision needs to be made for cricket.
01:53He adds that upgrades to the Dwight York Stadium are also on the agenda, saying improved sporting facilities will benefit
02:02both athletes and the wider community.
02:05I want to see some work done at the Dwight York Stadium as well because that is critical for our
02:12athletes.
02:12Currently, we don't have any certified track on the island that our athletes can run on so that they can
02:20meet the qualifying times for regional and international meets.
02:24So that means they have to go to Trinidad to get that done.
02:27Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
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