“One of the world’s best.”

That’s how the Tobago Blue Food Festival is being regarded by a major international news organisation, according to acting Chief Secretary Tracy Davidson-Celestine.

The Secretary of Tourism and Transportation (DOTT) said this is just the latest international recognition the island has attracted from reputable organisations.

“CNN again listed Tobago’s Blue Food Festival as one of the world’s best food festivals,” Davidson-Celestine said during the weekly Post Executive Council media briefing at the Calder Hall Administrative Complex (May 18, 2016).

The Secretary said a report written by CNN’s John Malathronas explained that the annual Festival, now in its 18th year, took place at Bloody Bay, and focused on dishes utilising dasheen.

“It’s a root [vegetable] that is of the taro variety. It’s eaten in abundance in the Caribbean, because it can be cultivated in flooded conditions,” Davidson-Celestine explained.

The Festival attracts thousands of patrons, who come to sample local dasheen products.

“Recently, Tobago was identified by CNN again as one of the fastest growing destinations in the Caribbean, and also, the Caribbean as a region being the fastest growing destination in the world.”

Davidson-Celestine said the island has been recognized over the years by many orgnaisations, citing places such as Pigeon Point Beach, which “was named one of the best all-day beaches in Tobago.”

The Secretary said DOTT continues to work towards Tobago’s tourism product being recognized internationally.