Annual Report 2021

2021 ANNUAL REPORT
TRANSFORMING TOMORROW...!
Tobago Division Report
Although in my chairmanship of the Tobago
Division I strive to seek out positives,
when I look back on 2021, there are
not many positives to which I could
point. The COVID-19 pandemic and attendant
restrictions – limited opening, travel curtailment for
international domestic tourists, etc., – continued to
keep the island’s business community in a state of
abeyance, similar to 2020. Although at the outset
the quest was to save both lives and livelihoods,
the unfortunate fact is that many livelihoods were
lost. Businesses continued to be negatively affected
not only by this, but by the general decline of
the Tobago economy which began several years
ago. Added to all this, the decision-making at the
administrative level was often stymied due to the
House of Assembly (THA) 6-6 tie in the Tobago
House of Assembly. Taken together, these factors
brought Tobago to a virtual standstill in the past
year.
Diane Hadad
One can only hope that in the months ahead a
glimmer of light may begin to show itself. Globally,
there are signs that we have turned the corner of
the pandemic, although new variants are being
identified periodically. Some airlines have returned
to the route and international travel is picking up.
Still, it very much remains to be seen what our
post-COVID economy would be, given what can
already be seen of the financial impact. Businesses
that have managed to weather the storm so far
are now trying to find balance and re-establish
themselves, even as they search for solutions on
the way forward.
One worrisome trend has been the increasing
reports which have been reaching the Division of
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Tobago Division Report