Above: the beach at the Magdalena Grand resort in Tobago

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Almost 963,000 visitors came to Tobago in 2012, an increase of 4.3 percent, according to data from the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

The numbers were announced by Tobago Secretary of Tourism Tracy Davidson-Celestine, who was presenting a motion last week at the plenary sitting of the Tobago House of Assembly.

That was compared to wider regional growth of 5.4 percent in 2012.

While she said the numbers were encouraging, its reliance on the British market presented challenges for recovery, with the UK’s struggling economy and the continued burden of the Air Passenger Duty.

The latter tax, which is levied on all flights originating in the UK, has led to strong opposition from the Caribbean, which has charged that it unfairly calculates its tax on the region.

Davidson-Celestine underscored the importance of tourism to the island and the Caribbean, saying it ” has to be everyone’s business.”

“Oe can easily see the magnitude of this industry and its importance to our Caribbean counterparts and in particular Tobago,” she said.

On a separate note, the Secretary also announced that 50 students from Nigeria would soon arrive in Tobago for tourism training at the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Institute in Blenheim, as part of an agreement between the THTI and Verasys last year.