tidings
Good luck George
The New Year brought renewed hope for Tobago’s tourism sector as over 4,500 visitors arrived aboard the Costa Pacifica and MS Amadea cruise ships at Scarborough Harbor on Monday.
Both calls were made at 8am, with passengers disembarking and welcomed to the island by cultural performances including moko jhumbies, drummers, dancers and steel music.
Visitors bought souvenirs at several booths before continuing on their various excursions.
From Costa Pacifica, which brought mostly Spanish-speaking visitors from the Dominican Republic, 605 people disembarked, with 20 going kayaking in Bon Accord, 96 on island tours, 40 visiting Argyle Falls, 11 going to Little Tobago, 36 to the rainforest, 95 at the famous Buccoo Reef, 36 at Mt Irvine Beach and 200 visited Pigeon Point.
From the MS Amadea, which came from Barbados, 353 passengers disembarked, with 67 going to Argyle Falls, 193 touring the island, 25 visiting the south of the island and 69 going to Pigeon Point.
Bajan Charmaine Butcher, who came aboard the MS Amadea, said she was excited to see what the island had to offer.
“This is my first time in Tobago. My family and I are here and we came on the smallest ship from Barbados. We would visit the waterfall in Argyle.”
Carlson Lorde, who is also Bajan, said: “We are happy for the opportunity to be in beautiful Tobago. We’ve heard so much and can’t wait to dive into the falls. I’m here with my old school friends.”
Lorde’s friend Genevie Ollivierre added: “I’m in Tobago and I’m ready for what the island has to offer on my short stopover. “Argyle Falls, here we come,” she laughed.
Visitor Joseph Percival was looking forward to the experience.
“I actually needed a break. After two years of being shut down during the pandemic, I’m excited to be on a cruise, but more so to be in Tobago. I’m going to Pigeon Point with my family – the land of sun, sea and sand.”
Percival’s wife Joanne shared similar sentiments.
“Pigeon Point is well advertised so we’ll take advantage of that adventure and embrace the sun, sea and sand while we’re here.”
The lifting of mask restrictions following the Covid19 pandemic has been embraced by Kyle Porter, another passenger on the MS Amadea.
“To be back traveling is something I never thought I’d experience, so I’ll make the best of it – even worse, without the masks. My friends and I will tour the island.”
The cruise ships were expected to depart at 17:00 and 18:00 on Monday, respectively.
On New Year’s Day, the cruise ship Costa Fascinosa arrived in Tobago with 1,954 passengers. The tourism sector benefited from 770 tour subscriptions.
A total of 42 ships and an estimated 64,000 passengers are expected to visit the island during the cruise season. The cruise season follows the July/August peak period and the successful inaugural Tobago Carnival, from October 28-30.
The first cruise ship, Silver Moon, docked on November 20 with 1,040 passengers and crew, signaling the start of the island’s 2022-2023 cruise season, which runs until April.
Another cruise, MS Serena, with a total capacity of 826 passengers is expected to dock in Scarborough on Tuesday by Oceania Cruise Line.
