Tobago Correspondent
Tobago House of Assembly Minority Leader Kelvon Morris announced yesterday that Caribbean Airlines (CAL) has committed to adding more flights for the upcoming Tobago Carnival. This followed after Senator Ancil Dennis made a request on behalf of Carnival stakeholders who reached out to him for help.
In a Facebook live, Morris said if the THA had planned better, they could have attracted airlines like JetBlue and American Airlines to bring more tourists directly to Tobago, taking the burden off CAL.
Morris said the approach by Tourism Secretary Tashia Burris was misguided.
“CAL alone cannot meet the demands of our tourism product, and we must be able to attract airlines from the US and Europe to increase the number of visitors and contribute meaningfully to Tobago’s economy.
“If proper planning had been done months ago, we could have attracted major international carriers which would have brought additional visitors to the island,” he said.
Morris also expressed concern that just two weeks before the Carnival, the THA is yet to announce a budget. He said a good plan for Carnival should have been ready months ago, but since there’s still no clear budget or plan, the event might not benefit the island as it should.
He gave THA officials until Monday to reveal the budget and their plan for the Carnival.
“It is unacceptable that we are this close to the event and still scrambling to put things together,” he said.
Morris said without a proper budget, it’s hard for businesses and band leaders to plan properly.
Meanwhile, PDP leader Watson Duke said he was concerned about the silence on the island with a major celebration two weeks away and called on Burris to do better.
“It seems to me that Carnival has been abandoned by the THA. There are no flags, banners, music trucks. Tobago does not signal if carnival is coming. Where is the budget? I’m saddened to report Tobago Carnival is dead and it may not be any given the fact there is no activity,” Duke said.
Tobago Chamber chairman Martin George also criticised the THA’s tardy approach to planning the event.
“It reveals the inability and incompetence of the leaders we have in Tobago as in they are unable to deal with the slightest of things and events,” he said.
George said Tobago is now seeing the “inane” and “monumental stupidity” of the THA.
This story has been updated to reflect that there was no official meeting between THA officials and Caribbean Airlines.