Tourism expansion v turtle nests: the dispute dividing communities in one Tobago resort
A dispute has emerged in Tobago over a proposed 200-room hotel development on the environmentally sensitive Rocky Point. Conservationists argue for smaller, community-led tourism, while developers and government agencies push for large-scale investment to boost the local economy.
Why it matters
This case illustrates the global tension between economic development through tourism and the preservation of local ecosystems and community autonomy.
Rocky Point and Pleasant Prospect, Tobago, where plans for a 200-room hotel have become a thorny issue. Plans for a 200-room project on an unspoiled beach have pitted developers against the conservationists fighting for smaller-scale schemes to protect the island’s habitat
About this content Sat 10 Oct 2026 12.00 BST Last modified on Sat 10 Oct 2026 12.02 BST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google V isitors to Rocky Point in south-west Tobago are drawn to its sandy beach, fringed by coral reefs and dark rock formations and carpeted with the fruit-bearing trees found on Caribbean coastlines – almonds, sea grapes, coconuts, and the poisonous manchineel. The beach is part of Back Bay, a 500-metre swathe of land, and trekking through its undulating terrain, thickly covered in bush and shrubs, feels akin to walking through a rainforest.
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