00:00And that loan thing that we asked the Secretary of Finance for, as well as the Secretary of Tourism and
00:10the Chief Secretary,
00:12that loan thing for those hotels needs to be done. We need to get Tobago back in order.
00:18If we cannot get the rooms back in order on the island, we're not going to move forward.
00:24Would you say that tourism is dead in Tobago?
00:36He said in 2005, Tobago recorded over 90,000 international tourists to just over today 11,000, marking what he
00:49described as over 30 years of stagnation.
00:52Every time you go to book a flight, they're all full. The interconnectivity of the airlines is pretty dealt with
00:59as well.
01:00Otherwise, we are going to remain stagnant as we have been for the last 25 to 40 years. Tobago really
01:09has not moved.
01:10He's also calling for the 24-round trips to and from Tobago before COVID to be instituted, and long waits
01:18on approvals for matters to be addressed.
01:21While Chairman of the Tobago Arm of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Curtis Williams, is hopeful
01:28the revitalization of the construction sector can bolster Tobago's tourism thrust.
01:34One of the main things is to start to stimulate the economy. Tobago economy has been sluggish for quite some
01:40time.
01:41So we were asking the secretary in our consultation if she can do that injection of getting that development program
01:47going to stimulate that sector.
01:49Because it's important that we get that sector stimulated at this time, because we see things is pretty much, as
01:56I said, slow on the island.
01:57And the quickest way to stimulate Tobago, this space, besides tourism, because tourism will take a while, we're talking about
02:04construction.
02:05One major resort in Tobago West, Mount Irvine Bay Resort, has not been able to pay their staff for the
02:12past four months.
02:14Staff reached out to TV6 News, calling for their salaries to be paid.
02:18Management confirmed the non-payment, but the manager, Alfa Lord, when asked to respond, said he had no comment on
02:26the matter.
02:27Williams said many businesses are unable to pay staff due to the sluggish Tobago economy.
02:34They said that, yes, there have been some reduction in business at the resort, and they're working tediously to see
02:42if they can get some funding to treat with the payment of salaries of staff.
02:45And that hasn't been affecting a lot of plants on the island.
02:49It's not only Mount Irvine.
02:50According to the Office of the Chief Secretary, the Budget 2027 will be anchored on the Pathway for Prosperity, Blueprint
02:59for Tobago, 2026-2030.
03:02The Finance Secretary, Petalan Roberts, emphasized that Budget 2027 will focus on completing projects already underway and delivering measurable outcomes.
03:14Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
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