I read this text message which was sent to CNMG this week, in light of the two British citizens being robbed and beaten in Tobago:
Geenie, I am not sure about that one. TV6 interviewed several foreigners and even though they all showed some sort of concern over the issue, MOST of them did not cut their vacation short and brought the "happens everywhere" talk. I was surprised!
Yes LDS I know exactly what you are referring to! I saw that report and I was dumbfounded. I suppose crime happens everywhere and people are now becoming desensitized by it because they are accustomed to hearing about it every single day: from friends, in the news etc. However, I am 100% sure that all the tourists would be singing a different tune if they were robbed or beaten in Tobago!
I don't think Tobago is losing any tourists. Let's be honest, the crime situation is very bad but these cases in Tobago were isolated.
I have been chatting to friends and family and yes I fear crime rates increasing is influencing where we vacation.
If the beach is not patrolled and fenced in and it is in a country with a poor economy I am sure people will be looking else where. I think is also a repercussion of the deaths in Mexico. So nice how we just like grouping countries together and painting them with the same brush. Fair or not it is a reality all countries need to think about when it comes to tourism.
Tobago is nowhere near as safe as it was 15 years ago.
Tourism has reduced significantly.
You really don't need any Government massaged statistics to realise that, simply have a look at any of the tourist beaches Store Bay, Pigeon Point, Grafton and count the number of white faces. Nowhere near as many as even a couple of years ago
It is noticeable too that most white tourists are to be found at Pigeon Point which is perceived to be safer because of the extra security levels
It is high time that the Trinidad & Tobago Government realised that Tobago cannot be sustained on agriculture alone but needs tourism to survive.
They must seriously address the problem of race hate crime in Tobago urgently if they want tourism to survive
I would hate to see Tobago to go down the same road as many of the Caribbean islands with regards to tourism, with all-inclusive hotels where the tourist never leaves the complex because of the high crime rates
This helps nobody!
The locals don't see any of the tourists dollars - it is all spent in the hotel. The tourists don't get a chance to meet the wonderful, friendly, humerous people of Tobago