Officials fear violence will kill Tobago tourism

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to warn Britons travelling to Trinidad and Tobago about crime.

Its website carries this warning: "You should be aware that there are high levels of violent crime, especially shootings and kidnappings. British nationals have been victims of violent attacks, particularly in Tobago where law enforcement is weak."

It says crimes against tourists in Tobago and "the inability of the Tobago authorities to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators remains a concern."

While the advisory posted in June is not related to the latest incident on the island in which a couple was brutally attacked over the weekend, tourism officials are concerned that it would be only a matter of time before word spreads in the international media.

And that, they say, would be a near fatal blow for the industry that has already been reeling from the international economic crisis.

The president of the Trinidad Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Association, Kevin Kenny, told the Trinidad Express Sunday the attack on British retirees Murium and Peter Greene is a major blow. "It is absolutely and totally intolerable," he said.

"Tourists go to the nicest, safest places ... and if tourists keep getting attacked, they won't come," Kenny told the paper.

That view is shared by the President of the Hotel and Tourism Association in Tobago Carol Ann Birchwood James. "Police officials need to find ways and means to keep the island safe," she said.

The couple have been transferred to the Mount Hope hospital in Trinidad where they underwent surgery. Police say Mrs Greene is in a satisfactory condition but her husband's condition is listed as serious.

Police have not made any breakthrough in their investigations.

The Ministry of National Security said in a news release that several ministers including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, National Security and Tourism, are treating the situation with the highest degree of seriousness and giving it "urgent attention".

The Ministry said it has assured the British High Commission that the police are doing everything possible to find the attackers.