myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Update on GOV.​UK.

Trinidad and Tobago travel advice

Change made
Update to information and advice on accommodation, crime within Trinidad and possible resumption of British Airways flights from 1 September and Virgin flights from October (‘Summary’, Coronavirus’, ‘Safety and security’ and ‘Entry requirements’ pages)

Time updated
3:22pm, 7 July 2020

Expecting an announcement re. borders opening (or not. or partially.) at the end of the month.

there's a lot of repatriation still required so ? if that'll have to happen first.

I noted international flights showing on CAL's schedule again and not just in the region, unlike the cargo runs they've been doing. Whether those longer haul flights go or not is another matter of course(Florida, NY and Toronto mainly). The Porlomar flight is on there as well

P

I am not sure about all this.

The UK has had the cheek to issue a list of ‘approved’ countries, including T&T, that tourists can return from without quarantine. Of course that is based on the country's track record.

T&T has done very well, in my opinion.

So I would not be surprised if countries like T&T, that have managed the pandemic extremely well, issue a blacklist of countries like the UK, that have managed the pandemic very badly, that they will not accept tourists from them for the foreseeable future.

To be honest though … I will still come in December if Tobago is kind enough to accept me.

Regards

I agree with your thinking, Paul. And I would be happy to spend another Christmas in Tobago.

Take care, Hugh

Hi Guys

Just got in and Hugh's response echoes exactly what I was going to post.

Cheers
Steve

Happy to jump on a plane ASAP if they would let me in!

Well there you go ... the Spanish fiasco ... let the Brits in, get infected and the UK imposes quarantine and ruins Spain's tourism.

This will create wider issues because there is no point kick-starting a previously dead tourist season to then have it locked down again ... this is a proper kick in the balls for Spain's tourism and people around the world will think carefully before booking trips abroad, especially if they have no (valid) travel insurance.

This is a potentially huge setback for global tourism.

The UK government's record of handling the pandemic is appalling and the data proves this (assuming it is correct!). Countries like Tobago cannot afford to jeopardise their safety by allowing tourists to visit from countries with such terrible track records like the UK / US.

As far as I am concerned I booked my flights last January so I have to go unless the flight is cancelled. I would like to go. But maybe I should not. Instead of 4 weeks I will do 6 weeks when it is safe for Tobago

You have to be positive !

Regards

Actually Paul, you'll have to be negative for international travel.

Haha Hugh ... my positivity is all based on getting there and somehow having to stay there.

It's a recurring dream to be marooned in Tobago.

If I take my work laptop I will be ok (I work from home) and my more respectable half could work there anyway. It could all be coming together.

Being positive ... and dreaming

Regards

Paul

Also do not forget about another risk factor, if just one passenger from the plane tested positive for the virus upon arrival then all passengers could be quarantined for 14 days....(see BA to Barbados)

And sent home.

Not looking too promising.....
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/04/busi ... index.html

Well ... it seems that BA are the best bet for UK travellers to Tobago.

Currently they are doing flights to Barbados. A friend of ours (a T&T resident) has been stuck in the UK until last week when she flew to Barbados although I am not sure of her flight from Barbados to Trinidad, but at least she is on her way.

My travel insurer is LV and they did a good job of covering me through the Thomas Cook failure, however LV are pulling out of travel insurance altogether and we have to look elsewhere.

BA are recommending Allianz Assistance because they will cover COViD cases BUT only if foreign office advice is followed. Already we know that negative FO advice relates to muggings and terrorism in T&T so I would assume that those will be the only exclusions.

However, T&T's COViD cases have just jumped substantially from 133 to 197 in the last week or 2 (no change to deaths of 8 ). Are they having a second spike? Or is this due to repatriation? Or tourists?

My BA flight was scheduled to leave Gatwick which won't happen. If it gets rescheduled to Heathrow that would be good but, technically, my flight could be cancelled and I would have to book another flight (at higher cost?) and, although I paid for the flight for December by credit card, I wonder if LV (whose insurance expires in November) will pick up the tab for any additional expenses I incur for a cancellation as they did with the Thomas Cook affair ... OR ... would Allianz cover me in the knowledge that my flight could be cancelled ?!?

I think that because I booked the flights last January that LV will cover it but you never know.

Although I would like to go I question if I should ... but if there is an option available to me and I decline to go then I would lose the money I paid for the original flights if my insurer / credit card won't cover my choice, if I have one ... yet if the insurers effectively force you to go on the holiday by using their clauses to not cover you then, surely, the claims to the insurers are going to increase?!?

There you go, I am off to open a can of worms ... yum yum

Regards