Seconds after leaving the ANR Robinson International Airport, visitors to Tobago will encounter a humongous billboard obliquely opposite the Crown Point police station. Upon seeing this massive "ad" for the first time a few weeks ago, it struck me as a sort of welcome message being inadvertently shouted to visitors upon their arrival to the island.
To those who have not seen the billboard, the loud and clear message is:
“K-F-ceine: a neurotransmitter that triggers happiness and satisfaction when you eat KFC” – accompanied by the image of a huge KFC-branded bucket filled with cooked chicken limbs. Through the promise of happiness and satisfaction, the billboard invites people to consume a fast food product that is eaten in large, sometimes excessive, quantities in TT – resulting in it being referred to by some as the "national dish." How wonderful it would be if fresh, natural food and healthy diets were given such visual prominence – especially as our nation is currently being called, more than ever, to focus on more wholesome nourishment and greater all round well-being.
Considering that Tobago has only two small KFC outlets, the size of billboard (perhaps the largest I have seen in Tobago) and its placement so close to the airport is interesting. Many foreign visitors are likely to be environmentally conscious and into nature (hence their choice of Tobago as a destination). They come to Tobago most likely to taste the fresh "catch of the day," bread baked in dirt ovens, traditional creole food and food cooked at home by new/old friends and AirBnB hosts. Upon arrival to "tropical paradise," a huge promo for fast food that is easily accessible "back home" is most likely not one of the first things they expect or want to see.
The spot occupied by the billboard is prime "real estate" for what could, be a tasteful (no pun intended) "Welcome to Tobago" type structure or sign.
With regard to signage many (myself included) wonder about the reason for and placement of the large, recently erected "Welcome to Canaan, Bon-Accord” archway on the highway. Not only does the signage have questionable punctuation (why is Bon Accord hyphenated? And the comma between Canaan and Bon Accord suggests (to those who may not know) that Canaan is a part of Bon Accord) – but the archway is oddly placed. Its location is neither Canaan nor Bon Accord – two separate villages situated much further up Milford Road after the road to Friendship Estate.
If it is that the powers that be in Tobago were eager to spend money on another huge sign (like the "I Love Tobago" and "I Love Buccoo" ones) or, in this case, archway, a more fitting consideration would have been a tastefully-designed "Welcome to Tobago" arch stretching across the road at the location now visually dominated by K-F-ceine. Such an archway could be an attractive welcome portal to foreign arrivals.
"Tourism jargon for this hypothetical arch, to be featured on Tobago tourism websites and in magazines and brochures, could read as follows:
“Located a stone’s throw from
