Secretary of Tourism and Transportation in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Tracy Davidson-Celestine has described the recently ended 2015-2016 cruise ship season as one of the best in the island's history, bringing ashore roughly 106,000 people.
She said Condor Airlines flights out from Manchester, England and Munich, Germany, scheduled to begin in the coming European winter season from November 1 will an additional 14,500 seats to the island.
Davidson-Celestine, speaking at a post Executive Council media briefing at the Administrative Complex, Calder Hall, said there will be two direct weekly flights out of Munich with a winter rotation of 25, providing a capacity of 6,125 seats for the season. The flight from Manchester, with a larger aircraft, will do 26 rotations with a capacity of 8,450 seats.
"If we can sell half of those seats we can see a 25 per cent increase in arrivals this year but we have to do the hard work and sell the seats. As we say, tourism is all ah we ting and therefore we have to all put our hands on deck and ensure this winter period is an improvement on last winter," she said.
Davidson-Celestine said a marketing campaign is currently being conducted by Condor for the Munich flight. It includes an online newsletter for consumers and trade partners, an in-flight video, and a magazine feature on flights, as well as advertising in and around train and bus stops and online banners with Condor's preferred partners.
She urged Tobago hotels, tour operators, bed and breakfast owners and the airline to work to fill those seats.
"We are doing our part. We have brought the flights here, we are putting marketing behind those flights, but the point I want to share is that we are all in this together," she said.