Strongly believes Tourism Industry will rebound
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH the local taxi industry still slowly rebounding from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, one taxi/tour operator is urging his counterparts to remain steadfast as the rebound is likely to come.
Many within the tourism sector are feeling the effects of the global slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and those within the sector have been the hardest hit.
With no clear indication on when cruise ships will return and travel to a significant level, the owner Roosevelt Taylor, is pushing for operators to hold their feet to the pedal.
Taylor is also feeling the crunch of the slowdown in the tourism industry but he is adamant that with the vaccines “there is hope”.
Despite Taylor's optimism that the sector would rebound, he chastised many of his counterparts for not ensuring that they do the right things to remain successful in the industry whenever they experience hard times, such as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He pointed to the lack of saving for a rainy day and the lack of contributions to Social Security by many who ply their trade, noting that it was a matter raised at the onset of the pandemic when the Government had revealed that some operators in the sector were not contributing to the fund.
“If a rainy day like this comes, they have nothing to go back on,” Taylor noted, adding that “a lot of them do not pay into Social Security”.
“I lived abroad for 45 years and as soon as I came here I started to pay into Social Security as a self-employed. Eighty percent of the taxi men do not pay Social Security, they don’t think that they have to...so they have to abide by the rules and regulations,” stressed Taylor.
Travel experts predict that the current pandemic would continue to hamper high levels of travel across the world, and with St. Kitts and Nevis being heavily dependent on tourism, those who rely on it for a livelihood, including taxi and tour operators, could find themselves continuing to be supported by the Government.
It is against that backdrop, the tour operator pleaded with his counterparts to make a concerted effort to do the right thing and contribute.
“They need to save because they are independent businesses and they would have to pay their taxes and contributions...90 percent of them do not contribute to the health insurance that the taxi association has,” disclosed Taylor.
He noted that those are opportunities that should be taken up by the operators to ensure their longevity in the sector and also for the benefit of their families.
Meanwhile, Taylor called for unity within the industry as operators are unable to stick to their prices being presented to tourists.
In fact, he pointed out that in many instances tourists are told conflicting figures when seeking to travel, with one seeking to go lower than the other.
To this end, unifying the industry to achieve success, noted Taylor, is critical for the benefit of all involved.
