Airlines coming out of the United Kingdom to Tobago are pleased with the 100 pound sterling ticket rebate initiative, according to secretary for Tourism and Transportation Oswald Williams, who spoke at the post-executive council news conference on Wednesday. Williams said his team met with representatives from the participating airlines, at a World Travel Trade Fair in Berlin, a week before, and the airlines recommended that the initiative be extended because of the increase of their sales. "Interestingly, Virgin (Atlantic) is of the view that the programme we would have done where we would have given the 100 pound rebate on the tickets through the tour operators in the United Kingdom, they are of the view that it was helpful in terms of improving their booking trends and of course they are recommending that the programme be extended," he said.
Williams said tourism in Tobago was doing well because Tobago was above the average tourism arrival quota for the current winter season. He said the upcoming summer bookings were also on the rise. "With respect to the current winter season, we are well ahead of our quota and we are likely to end the season approximately 10 to 12 per cent above given current trends," he said. They have also indicated that even the summer for 2011 which starts in May, is also already looking fairly comfortable where they have indicated that they have already had about 54 per cent of their booking for the summer season." The incentive programme was launched in November 2010 by the THA. Conditions of the programme were that the traveller must be an adult, and must stay in a Tobago hotel for at least 14 days.