Tobago Chamber urges CAL: Plan properly for 2026 carnival
The Tobago Business Chamber wants the Trinidad and Tobago Inter-Island Transportation Company and Caribbean Airlines Ltd to ensure that there are extra sailings and flights to shuttle visitors to the island for next year’s October carnival and beyond.
In a WhatsApp video on October 27, the chamber’s chairman Martin George said the fourth edition of the festival, titled, Unveiled: Mud, Mas, Music, was a huge success.
“From all indications and from the feedback reaching us here at the Tobago Business Chamber, it would appear that the Tobago carnival event is something which is growing by leaps and bounds and it is actually on its way to becoming a staple on the international calendar of carnivals,” he said.
“So in other words, it means that folks are going to be booking this and looking forward to it as an annual event and something that they are going to make provisions for and cater for in their travel plans and their vacation allowance arrangements.”
George added, “What this means is that we definitely need the inter-island transport in terms of the ferry and Caribbean Airlines to ensure that they put on the extra flights and extra sailings in advance. So in other words, if it is that the Tobago carnival is developing into a product which is generating such interest and creating opportunities for so many people to be able to come to Tobago, then we have to ensure that we are proactive in our decision-making and ensuring that we put on the extra flights in advance.”
He said visitors from several regional and international destinations, including Barbados, Bahamas, Grenada, St Vincent, New York, London and Germany, participated in the event.
“So these are people who will need to book and make their arrangements well in advance. It cannot be the last minute, knee-jerk reactions we have seen in the past where a few days before the event, Caribbean Airlines announces additional flights. That is nonsense.
“The point is that people need to know that they have confirmed bookings well in advance, months in advance for some of them, not just to land in Trinidad but to be able to get to Tobago and get back from Tobago so that they could be able to get their flights to be able to go back to their jobs and their lives wherever they live abroad.
“We have to start treating these things seriously and responsibly and it is definitely up to the airline and the ferry service to ensure that they take the lead.”
BY: COREY CONNELLY