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Masqueraders from Jade Monkey carnival band’s tustee section on the road during the parade of the bands on Sunday, along Milford Road, Scarborough, Tobago. – David Reid

TOBAGO Hotel and Tourism Association vice-president Carol-Ann Birchwood-James has described the island’s inaugural carnival as a resounding success.

Although the figures are still being tabulated, she said a preliminary report from the association’s members on Friday showed the accommodation sector had an 85 per cent occupancy rate.

That figure, she said, was expected to climb to about 90 per cent for the carnival weekend.

“Once people come and you have it safe and there are no big incidents, and you have hotels at 85 per cent and climbing, it must be a success. It is not a success if people ain’t come and bacchanal breaking out everywhere and is who chop who. That did not happen, so we are not even going to look at that,” she told Newsday.

Birchwood-James said on a scale of one to ten, she gave the carnival an eight.

“I have spoken to many people, locals and visitors, and observed certain things, as it is our first year. People came and had fun. It was safe and there were no incidents that we know of. So that is the eight out of ten.”

But Birchwood-James said there were shortcomings, which she has documented in a report to be presented to the association’s board, tourism and culture secretary Tashia Burris and the Tobago Festivals Commission.

For example, she said many people did not know there was goat-racing in Buccoo on Sunday.

“So that will be contained in the report.”

Birchwood said she is awaiting the THA’s evaluation of the event.

“But I found it to be a resounding success, and especially from my role as vice-president of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association, when we have an 85 per cent hotel occupancy and climbing over the weekend. That is success for us, because that is how we make our money.”

She thanked all the stakeholders for making the carnival a success.

Assistant Secretary in the Division of Culture, Tourism, Antiquities and Transportation Megan Morrison also felt the carnival was a highly successful.

“We had a huge visitor arrival, and we have seen where the Carnival can grossly improve our tourism product,” she told Newsday. “It has (generated) and will generate economic activity on the island and at the same time, give patrons an experience they would not forget. The carnival was a great success.”

However, Morrison said some aspects of the event must be revisited.

“As with everything else, nothing is perfect. There are some things we can look at going forward.”

For example, the organisers may have to look at the length of the parade routes in some cases and where certain events are held.

“J’Ouvert was in Crown Point . But we are not sure if that is going to remain next year, so its versatile.”

Morrison said they may also have to look at the closing time for the carnival, “because patrons are complaining that they did not get enough time on the streets.”

She said a post-mortem is expected to be carried out on the event to see what changes can be made.

“But this (October carnival) will be a staple on the calendar of events for Tobago.”

Tobago Business Chamber chairman Martin George said the carnival was “a wonderful start.”

He said, “It was not perfect, we had our little hiccups – small, little issues. But overall, it was a fantastic effort and it was a wonderful celebration.”

He said the chamber looks forward to partnering with the THA next year “to make this bigger, better and brighter, and to stamp Tobago’s carnival in October firmly on the international calendar of carnivals as one not to be missed.”

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Tekst en beeld Ricky Wirjosentono PARAMARIBO —  Kinderen van Santo Polder krijgen de komende tien maanden schaaklessen. Christian de la

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Prime Minister Andrew Holness has given his commitment to examining the management of road works in St Thomas under the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP).

Holness is contending that the work could progress with more speed, leading to a lessening of the inconvenience caused by the works on the motoring public traversing sections of the parish.

“I’m of the view that the South Coast Road Improvement Project could move faster than it is now, and therefore, I’m going to be looking on the logistics and the management arrangements to ensure that it moves more quickly than it is presently doing,” said Holness while addressing the handing over of the Yallahs Fire Station in the parish last week.

In September, taxi and bus operators, as well as residents, mounted roadblocks to protest the poor state of some roads in the parish that are affecting students and other commuters traveling to and from areas like Bath, Lyssons, Port Morant, Dalvey, Leith Hall, among other communities in the parish.

The transport operators and residents of the parish have, and still blame, delays on the ongoing works under the SCHIP. They said with the project, many roads were dug up and have yet to be paved.

The state of the roadways in the parish led People’s National Party (PNP) Councillor for the White Horses Division in the St Thomas Municipal Corporation, Hubert Williams, to blast his fellow councillors from both sides of the political aisle for remaining silent about what he described as the dreaded road conditions in the parish.

“We can’t sit down as the local authority and watch this (the bad state of the roads) keep on going on.

“… And if we just sit and be spectators, the people dem nuh need fi vote back fi none a we fi return here!” thundered an impassioned Williams at the monthly general municipal meeting earlier this month.

A section of the highway through St Thomas that is presently under construction.

While the protests have largely stopped for now, the poor state of the parish’s roads remains, hampering commerce in the parish and leaving residents fuming about the slow pace of travelling throughout the parish or travelling to Kingston, according to an irate Williams at the time.

Holness said he has taken note of the cries of the residents relative to the state of the roadways throughout the parish.

“First, I want to say to you (the residents) that I follow all the protests and demonstrations, all the quarrels, and all the complaints that are placed on social media and in traditional media,” he said on Thursday.

“… And I have been driving around in St Thomas now for more than three hours (on Thursday) to understand, and, in fact, I do understand why people would be upset, and fatigue would set in,” the prime minister continued.

“I know that the people in St Thomas are very understanding of the challenges that the Government would face in trying to undertake some of the massive infrastructure work that we are doing,” he added.

While promising to speed up the roadworks under the SCHIP, Holness said once completed, St Thomas will stand to benefit economically.

“One thing you can be certain of is that when it is complete, nobody can say that St Thomas is the forgotten parish,” he assured.

In elaborating, he said: “You will probably have the best network of main roads going through your parish.

“You will have the most modern and advanced town centre, in addition to other investments that are to come not just from the Government, but the private sector.”

According to Holness, there are “significant interests” in St Thomas for the growth of tourism, business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, and quarrying and mining industries.

“People are now taking a serious look on how they can deploy capital in St Thomas.

“So your parish is set for a boom to come, and in the next five years, you’re going to see that unfold,” declared Holness.

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Charmaine Archer, left, owner, Canaan Nursery School receives an award from the new Scotiabank Lowlands branch manager Marlon White, for being one of the bank’s long-standing business banking customers in Tobago, at a function last Thursday in Lowlands. –

Scotiabank has honoured some of its Tobago customers for their loyalty and use of digital services, at a function last Thursday to formally introduce new Lowlands branch manager Marlon White.

Scotiabank honoured customer Livingstone Drakes “for his loyalty and trust.”

Charmaine Archer, owner of Canaan Nursery School, was also recognised “as one of our longest standing business banking customers.” Customer Janetta Taylor Mohan was honoured for making the most digital bill payments between August to September 2022.

Scotiabank said Mohan gave rave reviews about the digital banking platform “as it’s very convenient and easy to use – anywhere, any time.”

Scotiabank district general manager Michelle Eligon gave remarks on behalf of Scotiabank vice president, retail banking Richard Edoo, who was unable to attend due to illness. Eligon said the bank is “dedicated to innovating in the digital sphere by continuously adding new features to simplify your lives and make your day-to-day banking more accessible.”

She thanked the Tobago customers “for your continued confidence, loyalty, and trust in us and choosing us as your financial partner. We’re proud that so far for 2022, we’ve been recognised by Global Finance as Trinidad and Tobago’s best bank and best digital bank.”

She added, “Tobago plays a critical role in our operations, which is a big part of the reason we are here this week. As you know, we opened our first branch here in 1970 and from then to now, we continue to invest in technology, processes, and people.”She said the bank has increased the number of off-site ATMs, with new locations in Canaan and Scarborough Esplanade, and more to come in 2023.

Eligon said the the team in Tobago will continue to flourish under White’s leadership.

White said: “I am very happy to join the team and so far, in the six weeks that I’ve been here, Trudy Hamilton (Assistant Manager, Service and Support) and the rest of the team and our customers have warmly welcomed me.

“Although I’ve met some of you already, I look forward to getting to know each of you better in the coming months and I am committed to deepening our relationships here in Tobago.”

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