I NOTICED that the argument for spending $ 20 million for a Taste of Carnival 2022 is basically to assist the Artists and other Cultural individuals who have lost their income due to Covid.
I wonder how many individuals is the Government catering for as part of this dispensation?
On the other hand, our cruiseship industry has been closed since March 8, 2020 as well and to my calculations on a normal cruise ship day in Trinidad, we would have provided an earnings for up to 429 individuals. This would include bus drivers, tour guides, taxi drivers, people manning tourists attractions, craft vendors and a host of other service providers at the port etc.
We can simply multiply it by two to cater also for the calls at Tobago as well, bringing the overall figures to 854 representing one cruise ship in Trinidad and one in Tobago per week.
Can you imagine having three of four ships in Trinidad and three of four in Tobago every day of the week like our small Caribbean islands? And for six months annually. Do the math.
So the lost revenue for those involved in the cruise industry for the last two years is just as important as the cultural and arts industry and we are calling on the Government to reopen the cruise ships season now or provide the industry with a similar amount of money given to a Taste of Carnival 2020.
Charles Carvalho is a cruise ship agent in Trinidad and Tobago for close to 40 years. The opinions and views expressed by him are not necessarily those of AZP News, a Division of Complete Image Limited.
Open Back the Cruise Industry in T&T
I NOTICED that the argument for spending $ 20 million for a Taste of Carnival 2022 is basically to assist the Artists and other Cultural individuals who have lost their income due to Covid.
I wonder how many individuals is the Government catering for as part of this dispensation?
On the other hand, our cruiseship industry has been closed since March 8, 2020 as well and to my calculations on a normal cruise ship day in Trinidad, we would have provided an earnings for up to 429 individuals. This would include bus drivers, tour guides, taxi drivers, people manning tourists attractions, craft vendors and a host of other service providers at the port etc.
We can simply multiply it by two to cater also for the calls at Tobago as well, bringing the overall figures to 854 representing one cruise ship in Trinidad and one in Tobago per week.
Can you imagine having three of four ships in Trinidad and three of four in Tobago every day of the week like our small Caribbean islands? And for six months annually. Do the math.
So the lost revenue for those involved in the cruise industry for the last two years is just as important as the cultural and arts industry and we are calling on the Government to reopen the cruise ships season now or provide the industry with a similar amount of money given to a Taste of Carnival 2020.
Charles Carvalho is a cruise ship agent in Trinidad and Tobago for close to 40 years. The opinions and views expressed by him are not necessarily those of AZP News, a Division of Complete Image Limited.