A wave of violence, including six murders in less than five months, threatens to disrupt the usually laid-back, tourist-oriented scene in Tobago but stakeholders want urgent action before it gets any worse.
President of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association (THTA) Alpha Lorde said empowering communities can help reduce crime.
“I would like to hear a broader plan that treats with the youth population to prevent those who are at risk to addressing some of the things that caused them to be perpetually at risk.”
He said crime is multi-faceted and it imposes economic and social costs adding that the victims of violent crime are predominantly the youth population, and such crimes also negatively impact the business environment.
“As a person watching crime and criminality, you’ll have to feel uncomfortable to the fullest extent. Tobago has never had a case where it’s pacing to have murders in that kind of manner. I feel saddened by it. I feel that it would have long-term impact but I’m human, I’m more concerned that we’re losing people that we don’t need to be losing in a manner which sends a psychological impact to the communities, that we don’t need to have.”
He described the entire situation as “crazy,” especially as guns are used in most of the crimes.
“It shows the extent to which the crime situation has evolved, it shows the extent to which the society has evolved and situations, whatever they may be, the result is to use a gun. That cannot auger well at all for society in no way, form or fashion. I think it’s quite atrocious that the weapon of choice now is just to walk with a gun.”
He said crime and criminality do not start at the point in time of somebody holding a gun or choosing to go and kill somebody but long before that.
“Therefore, yes, these roadblocks. Yes, these searches, where warranted, are a positive thing, but if we try to deal with it from that point of view only, we’ll just be spinning top in mud. There are a lot of other socio-economic factors that have to be looked into as to why people are picking up guns with such ease.”
As to how such levels of crime affect tourism, Lorde said every major tourist destination contends with crime in one form or fashion that can have a negative impact on the destination.
“So yes, we would have a negative impact. I think what is far more important is how we manage the communication not only of the crime situation, how we manage the communication of the destination and the brand that is the destination – the communication has to be a whole lot more positive and not acknowledge that crime.
“The crime has to be acknowledged, it has to be treated with, but I think there are far more positive things that need to be the lead story. Otherwise, once we leave the crime regardless of whether it is two murders or 200, if that is the story, then the impact would be negative. There are destinations with a whole lot more crime but that isn’t the lead story. There are plenty of positives going on in those destinations and they’re not burying their head
