Sandals expands in the region, no word yet on Tobago

Last week, Sandals deputy chairman and CEO, Adam Stewart, announced plans for a new resort in St Lucia, that would add to the three resorts already on that island.

The new hotel, described by industry insiders as ‘the resort of the future’, will boast over 350 rooms, resulting in a multimillion-dollar investment and a much needed boost to the islands room stock.

Meanwhile, destination marketing has been identified by industry stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago, as one of the key obstacles facing the industry and they have recently called on the Government to invest more to market the country as arrivals to Tobago had been described as “stagnated”.

During a recent address to the Trinidad and Tobago Industry Chamber of Industry and Commerce Stewart said, “Sandals Resorts has an ad appearing every 30 seconds on TV in the US, Canada and Europe. Sandals does not spend that kind of money on a whim, they do it to drive consumers through the established delivery channels into their hotels. That is why the tour operators and the OTAs ( Online Travel Agents) are so loyal to Sandals, and the airlines provide increased lift wherever and whenever we open a resort.” Both Sandals chairman Gordon Stewart and the younger Stewart have expressed their desire to establish the brand in Tobago and have recently led a high-level delegation for talks with THA officials, which included Minister Stuart Young, and Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe.

However, despite promises of ongoing and positive discussions, there is still no confirmation from either party.

Once an agreement is announced for Sandals in Tobago, the resort could take between two to three years to build.

A resort the size of which is proposed for Tobago is expected to result in an annual economic footprint of well over US$500 million according to Sandals.