Castara’s villagers and tourism stakeholders are outraged by the murder of United States citizen Chris Brown, whose body was found with stab wounds along Castara Depot Road at around 11pm on Wednesday.
President of the Castara Tourism Development Association, Bertil Taylor, described the incident as a case of wrong identity.
“We condemn these kinds of acts, and now, presently, we know it can be detrimental to our industry, so we are sending the message out to our local tourism and foreign tourism that Castara is a safe place, and don’t be afraid to come here.”
President of the Castara Fisherfolk Association Reform, Errol Roach, said the villagers and hoteliers are deeply hurt.
“It’s unfortunate what happened last night. I think this hurts every Castarian because we have worked hard in the vineyards to develop our product, develop our community, that tourists always return to Tobago to enjoy their stay. Remember, Castara is a place where tourists come and spend two months, three months, even a year while they are on their holiday, and it is so unfortunate that this happened, and I want everyone to know that it is not a case where people are attacking tourists in Castara.”
Mr. Taylor lamented that the area where the incident occurred needs to be lit.
“When you look at the area here, there is no lighting, and we would have complained to the authorities that Depot Road needs lighting. The roads need to fix. This is something we have been clamouring for for years.”
Amid this tragedy, Castara’s tourism stakeholders noted that the community will work together to continue to strengthen their tourism product and advocate for the safety of visitors.
“We are strong-minded people here. We know what is right, and we strive for what is good in our community, and we will ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”
A man from Scarborough has been arrested in connection with the incident. This is the second murder reported on the island in less than 24 hours.