Buccoo passport a gateway to unique culture

Buccoo Village Council president Natasha Roachford-Chance, fourth from right, and others shows off sketches of areas of interest in Buccoo to invited guests at the launch of the Buccoo passport initiative. - Division of Tourism

The THA Division of Tourism, Culture and Transportation collaborated with the Buccoo village council for the launch of the Buccoo passport initiative on Thursday at the tower of the Buccoo Integrated Facility.
The initiative, which includes seven unique elements, is the latest private sector tourism undertaking on the island and offers a packaged Buccoo experience that includes Buccoo Reef tours, entertainment by the Buccooneers Steel Orchestra, goat and crab racing, horseback riding, museum tours, Buccoo "Sunday School" and dining at participating restaurants.
Speaking at the launch, president of the village council Natasha Roachford-Chance said the first step in the initiative was to formulate the pillars of the Buccoo passport, which was initially supposed to be called The Buccoo Experience or The BU Experience.
After several conversations, she said they went in another direction towards the passport booklets. The passports feature active barcodes and will be sold to visitors to enable them to access the package offerings.
“We have developed three packages; fun day pass (FDP), mix and match (M&M) and make your pick (MYP).
“The long-term plan is that we have an outlet where we include other souvenir items of Buccoo passport and surrounding areas and, of course, extend it to our fellow Tobagonians. This will allow the Buccoo Village Council to employ two members of the Buccoo community that would serve as the staff members; of course we have to develop the company to do such and we would be able to benefit more in the community,” she said as she thanked the village council for buying into the initiative.
Public Relations officer (PRO) of the village council, Winston Pereira said the intended target market is the cruise ship arrivals.
“We intend to provide a fully interactive cultural experience that will improve the memorable nature of the product, thereby making it a much safer space for all arriving cruise ship itinerary.
“This initiative forms part of a larger plan by the Buccoo village council to highlight and harness the immense heritage potential of our village using the binary approach of technical and cultural,” he said.
Administrator of the Division of Tourism, Culture and Transportation, Selma Graham applauded the village council for understanding the importance of preserving and showcasing aspects of the island’s rich culture and history.
“Today signifies another noteworthy milestone for our island – one which should be lauded by all…Tobago has numerous natural and historical offerings. I must commend the Buccoo village council for having the foresight and successfully birthing this project even as the Tobago House of Assembly, through the Division of Tourism, Culture and Transportation, continues to encourage the establishment of private initiatives such as these. I look forward to experiencing the offerings of this initiative,” she said.
Following the launch, attendees were escorted on a guided tour of some of the package attractions including the goat racing track, Healing with Horses Park and the La Tartaruga restaurant. Source: Newsday, Dec 2019.