No ban on foreign investment in Tobago, but ...

Claudia Gardner, Hospitality Jamaica Writer

Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly, Orville London, says any developer who wishes to purchase land in Tobago will have to first get the approval of his organisation.

London says this step is necessary, as the island must maintain its environmental integrity. He was responding to questions posed by delegates attending the 12th Annual Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference in Trinidad last Thursday on whether or not there was a ban on foreign investment on the island.

'There is no ban'

"There is no ban," Mr London said. "What we have done is to trigger a clause in the Foreign Investment Act which says, if you want to purchase land in Tobago, you must have a licence. And what that means is that before you purchase the land, we must talk. And, when we talk, we will determine whether your investment is one which is in keeping with Tobago's vision."

He said that once a genuine investor is involved in an investment, which is going to benefit Tobago, steps will be taken to facilitate them.

"We in Tobago are at a very critical juncture in our development. But, one thing that we want to make very clear is that we know the type of tourism that we want to sell to the people of the world, and, in fact, what we are telling people to do is to create a Tobago in which we Tobagonians are comfortable, and then share that Tobago with the rest of the world," Mr London added.

low-impact tourism

Mr London told Hospitality Jamaica that the assembly was determined that only low-impact, low-density sustainable tourism developments would take place on the island which is home to 55,000 people - 400 people on each square mile.

"We are not into mass tourism," he said. "We are 116 square miles. We recognise that if we are to maintain the ambience, we have to ensure that we keep the numbers down. Recently, we did a survey to see what is sustainable in Tobago. The people of Tobago have to be involved in every aspect of our development. We have a fair idea of what our cut-off point should be, both from the perspective of getting the benefits but still making sure you don't destroy the very thing for which the tourists are coming. And, it is in that context that we will determine the numbers."