Tobago to double bed stock

The Tobagolator has been on the road too

Tobago is to double the amount of hotel rooms on the island to help boost tourism but will ‘go no further’, it has been said.

The island plans to double its rooms from 1,000 to 2,000 to match the increased airlift, which now includes flights from Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Monarch.

With a new tourism minister following a cabinet reshuffle, the island is also planning to double its tourism figures in the next two to three years, while maintaining the UK’s 65% share of tourism numbers. However, growth is limited on the island due to its protected habitat.

“We have to have enough rooms to keep the airlines coming but not spoil the island,” Christopher James, hotelier and vice president of the Tobago Hotel & Tourism Association told Travel Daily. “We do not intend to go bigger [in number of rooms] due to the protected rainforest and the environment around us.”

Inside the Tobagolator

The comments came as the tourism board and hotel partners embarked on a three-day roadshow around the UK to visit travel agents. Having entertained agents in Manchester and London with product updates, rum cocktails and a live band, the roadshow is to make its last stop in Birmingham tonight. It has also been making training visits with its unique ‘Tobagolator’ (think Tobago simulator) which includes training within a rainforest setting. A focus has been around the island’s varying history and nation influences from France to Japan and its niche offering including weddings, diving, fishing and bird watching.

Carnival has also been a focus as the island, along with neighbouring Trinidad, will take over Notting Hill Carnival this weekend to mark its 50th anniversary of independence. 

By Amanda Greenwood, 22 August 2012, Wednesday 12:16 PM