Tobago bars, restaurants, hotels report vacation boost

Tobago Correspondent

As the 2024 August/July vacation peak season nears its end, several sectors in Tobago are reporting a significant boost as thousands flocked to the island over the past weeks.

Several bars, restaurants, car rentals, villas and some hotels reported a boom in business.

Speaking to Guardian Media, Tobago chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Curtis Williams, said after facing several depressions over the past peak seasons, this season had been quite uplifting.

He said, “The only thing that we are concerned about is the criminal elements that want to take away the fun we have in Tobago.”

Despite this, businesses have been seeing more transactions in US dollars, especially in bars and restaurants.

“We’ve noticed an uptick in foreign currency, particularly US dollars, which is a good sign for those accepting them,” Williams explained.

“But other than that, the villas are booked, the reservations are looking steady at approximately 50 to 60 per cent.

“Families are flocking to the beaches, and rental properties are filled with both locals and a few international visitors. The numbers are looking good.”

Williams is predicting another boost in the coming months, especially for Tobago’s October Carnival, based on feedback from band leaders and promoters.

He said, “It seems like it could be a bumper season. I want to take the time to ask everyone to ensure that our guests are safe during this season.”

However, this is not the case for most bed and breakfast inns, which, even with their best marketing efforts, are experiencing a gloomy season.

Unique Bed and Breakfast & Self-Catering Association president Kaye Trotman said her members, who are accustomed to high occupancy at this time, have seen difficulty hitting the mark.

“It would not be one of our better years in terms of performance, because we are almost to the end of this season, and the overall performance has been under par,” Trotman said.

One major factor for this is the inefficiency of the airbridge.

“When our members make the effort on one side with advertising and promotion to draw up interest, the other elements—the means of getting here—do not seem to be working in our favour most of the time,” she said.

Trotman said unless a miracle happens, by the end of August, her members would have seen another gloomy and depressed season.

For the Easter 2024 peak season, the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association recorded a gloomy time for the industry, after it saw a ten per cent decline in its occupancy rate. Meanwhile, smaller inns recorded an average of 40 per cent this season.

Trotman hopes smaller inns can see a boost coming out of the upcoming Tobago Carnival season.

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