[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ast June the management of local Sandals Resorts was happy to announce a fourth, yes, fourth, investment in Saint Lucia. The declaration, made by the main man himself, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, was accompanied by Jamaica’s prime minister Mr. Andrew Holness offering his enthusiastic endorsement.
At the ground-breaking ceremony this Wednesday, Saint Lucia’s minister for economic affairs, Mr. Guy Joseph, further confirmed that Sandals didn’t just “talk the talk but also walked the walk”. Also in attendance was Fr. Michel, deputy Archbishop in Saint Lucia, who showered his special blessings on all present, including construction workers. It is anticipated that it will take 24 months to build the new resort, although it remains conjectural whether it will share with Grenada the brand name, Sandals La Source.
Sandals Resorts International was founded in Jamaica and it’s the only island with more Sandals hotels and more Sandals rooms than Saint Lucia. It has been 25 years since the first Sandals investment in Saint Lucia and, as managing director Winston Anderson said, “It’s only fitting that we celebrate our past as we reaffirm our commitment to Saint Lucia. We can see Saint Lucia becoming our key investment outside of Jamaica.”
Anderson also revealed that Sandals’ contribution to this island’s economy is “well over US$75 million in payroll and direct contributions; over EC$200 million.” An ebullient Anderson promised: “This will grow to well over US$100 million. We’re the largest employer in the sector and we are very proud of the fact that out of 1,800 team members here, over 98% of them are Saint Lucians.”
Prime Minister Allen Chastanet happily confirmed: “This investment represents 36,000 new guests visiting. By itself it represents 10% increase for arrivals in Saint Lucia and in terms of expenditure, just taking it at $250 per person, we’re talking about US$75 million in additional expenditure per year that this property is going to bring.”
The prime minister believes that having four Sandals resorts in Saint Lucia speaks volumes about the island as a destination and makes the prospect of attracting other major brands more viable than ever. The tourism minister, Mr. Dominic Fedee, reiterated the consensus that Saint Lucia benefits significantly from the “dynamic marketing approach” for which Sandals is especially admired.
But although Sandals has been a major player in making Saint Lucia recognizable to the world, the prime minister also believes it is Saint Lucian citizens that secure the investments made here. “The people that have to take the greatest amount of credit for the achievement here today are the 1,800 Saint Lucians working for Sandals,” he said. “It’s because of you that Mr. Stewart has so much confidence in Saint Lucia.”
According to Director of Corporate Services Jeremy Jones, Sandals not only promises to enhance Saint Lucia’s tourism image worldwide, and boost local employment and the island’s economy with an exceptional resort, but the company will remain environmentally responsible.
“We have some new construction methods we’re going to put in place that are going to help mitigate against natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes,” Jones announced. He then promised the mayors of Castries and Gros Islet: “For the first time on a construction site here, you’re going to see a truck wash. The last thing you want are vehicles messing up the roads and causing chaos in the community. There will be a lot of silt movement when construction is up and running; it’s bound to happen. So you’re going to see silt traps which will eliminate the waste water run-off going into the ocean.”
The construction phase is expected to employ some 1,200 Saint Lucians under the guidance of Senior Project Manager Mark Harding. The fourth Sandals resort in Saint Lucia, according to Jones, will be ready for a ribbon-cutting ceremony by December 2020. The government pledges its support to the company. Only half jokingly, the economic affairs minister said he was looking forward in the near future to a local Beaches (one of Sandals’ brands) resort.
