The Tourism Ministry is disputing a newspaper report which stated that two cruise ships cancelled stops in Tobago following the declaration of a State of Emergency.

The Ministry says it sought clarification on this matter from Charles Carvalho of Carvalho’s Cruise Services Ltd, which is the lead cruise ship agent locally.

He stated that the two vessels actually cancelled their stops prior to the SoE’s declaration on December 30th 2024.

In one case, The Norwegian Jade was scheduled to dock in Scarborough on January 10th 2025, however this was cancelled several months ago.

Meanwhile the Costa Fortuna was due to call on December 22nd 2024, however due to flight delays impacting over 300 of its passengers, there were schedule changes that saw them skip the Port of Scarborough.

The Ministry insists that planning for any given Cruise Season occurs in advance and so, reduced calls for the current 2024/2025 season was not influenced by the ongoing SoE.

It adds, “The Ministry wishes to assure the public, stakeholders, and international partners that Trinidad and Tobago remains a welcoming destination for cruise ships and other visitors at this time. The State of Emergency, does not restrict, retard or reduce the entrance of tourists to any of our ports of entry. “