Tobago Oil Spill surges number of cruise passengers to 100,000, visitors interested in clean-up efforts

Tobago: With over seventy cruise ship calls, Tobago 2023/2024 season reported the arrival of one hundred thousand passengers. President of Maxi Drivers Association, Cloyde Williams outlined that a lot of the visitors were more interested in oil spill clean-up efforts and other seemingly mundane activities in the country.

President also shared some insights into what cruise ship passengers attracted to and they visit Tobago. In the situation where authorities were worried about the effect of the oil spill on the cruise arrivals, President Williams stated that rather than becoming a problem, it has turned out to be greater highlight or attraction to the passengers.

Williams explained that some visitors wanted to assist and donate to the cleanup efforts. He also pointed out that Tobago offers a beautiful environment for visitors to enjoy, but many are interested in the daily lives of Tobagonians and activities that locals often take for granted.

“They look at people walking on the road, using the walker, you know what I mean, paving the road, cleaning the oil, you know what I mean, and they are very much interested in some of these things, running the goats, ”said the president.

For this reason, Williams believes that there should be efforts to create situations where cruise ship passengers can have a more immersive experience in Tobago. He further explained that it may be in the garden and that kind of thing. It becomes localized, it becomes part of you and part of the tourists. It’s an experience that they will never forget.

Additionally, he said that places like Pigeon Point should be maximized whenever there’s a cruise ship in harbour to create a cultural village of sorts.

“Where Pigeon Point can be like a day for the tourists, because we normally have jazz festival in Pigeon Point, where you can set up your tents in Pigeon Point. So today we know we have a big ship is coming. Why not make Pigeon Point the day for the cruise ship? You know what I mean, where we have our cultural activity, where people bathe, come back, listen to the culture, eat the local food, ”cited President Williams

Overall, Williams commented that the visitors he interacted with had a positive experience. However, he noted that a lot of work needs to be done to create a good tourism product that cruise ship visitors can enjoy.

Tobago is one of the ideal destinations for the cruise season as several ships docked at ports with the arrival of the thousands of passengers. In the month of April, three cruise ships will dock at Charlottesville and Scarborough including Seabourn Ovation, Celebrity Silhouette and Sea Dream II and mark the ending of the season.