Germany is waiting on the government's approval to establish an honorary consulate in Tobago, said Ambassador Lutz G�rgens, Germany's ambassador to T&T. Justifying his point for a consulate to be set up there, he said many German nationals vacation on the island regularly.
At present, there is a direct flight between the Frankfurt airport and the airport the Arthur NR Robinson airport in Tobago, the ambassador said. Adding that there are other nationals who visit the island to carry out business.
The ambassador discussed the establishment of the honorary consulate at a meeting on Thursday evening with Foreign Affairs Minister, Dennis Moses.
In an interview Friday, G�rgens said: "One thing I am looking forward to, that concerns Tobago, we are about to install an Honorary Consulate there. I talked about that with the Foregin Minister only last night (Thursday). Tobago is an important part of T&T and I would be happy if for the future a Honorary Consul which still awaits (approval) by the Government could contribute to increasing sales and tourism in Tobago. We patiently await the decision of the Government."
Pressed further about his reason for wanting to set up a consulate in Tobago, he said: "If you look at any given moment where there are the most German individuals it would be in Tobago. If you look at Germans with (residency status) there would be more here (in Trinidad), but for tourism it is mostly in Tobago. There is a weekly flight every Monday from Scarborough at Robinson International airport to Frankfurt Germany."
Asked whether he had statistics of the total number of German nationals resident or visiting Tobago, he said, "It is very difficult to tell because if they are happy and content, they sometimes do not bother to contact the Embassy. All the figures we have are probably a big underestimation."
Volkswagon 2017 model
G�rgens visited the Massy showroom at Lady Young Road, Morvant yesterday to view the 2017 model of the Volkswagon Passat which costs $370,000. The brand is a global one and the ambassador said he is confident that it can cope with any challenges it faces in its external environment in the various markets the brand has a presence in.
This comes after the US Environmental Protection Agency had issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to the Volkswagon group. But the ambassador said he is confident that the brand is "so strong" that it can withstand anything. He said: "The management of Volkswagon (globally) has recognised that it had been a breach of trust (the violation of the emissions) they have done everything necessary to overcome that. Sales are up again," he said, but did not disclose how much it had increased by.
According to an early May report by Bloomberg, the company reported that its April sales in the US market had fallen by 9.7 per cent. The report stated: "The monthly decrease was the sixth straight and included declines of 8.6 per cent for the Jetta line, the brand's top-selling models, and 15 per cent for the Passat." But the ambassador said the company has survived that crisis.
Massy is the holder of the holder of the Volkswagon brand in T&T and said the model "exudes sophistication and versatility while still inciorporating safety, luxury and performance." It added that, "the model boasts safety features and an upgraded infotainment system."
While the 2017 model comes with a variety of features the three outstanding features are: 1.8 turbocharged/seven speed DSG transmission/180 horse power, electro-mechanical speed sensitive power steering and front and rear parking distance control and rear camera.