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The president of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association, Alpha Lorde, says he is not overly concerned about the UK’s new visa requirement for Trinidad and Tobago nationals, as it will not affect the influx of UK travellers to Tobago or interfere with the island’s tourism and hotel sectors.
Speaking to Guardian Media on Thursday, Lorde said he felt, “It’s more of a geopolitical issue,” adding that, “It doesn’t directly impact our tourism product, because that affects business outbound. I think what’s more important to me right now is the travel advisories, not just issued in the UK, but just issued internationally. But given that for Tobago, a large portion of the would-be visitors come out of the UK, I would like to see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs take that up as an issue.”
Lorde said hoteliers have already seen a decline in bookings, with some cancellations directly linked to the State of Emergency (SoE)—declared on December 30, 2024—and the increased travel advisories against visiting Tobago. He warned that if the Government does not address the issue with its UK counterparts, it could further hurt the island’s tourism sector.
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