The Trinidad and Tobago government has announced that discussions will take place early next week with Jamaica-based Sandals Resorts International to explore building a luxury resort in Tobago, six years after the company withdrew from a similar project.
At a post-Cabinet press briefing on Thursday, Prime Minister Stuart Young confirmed that his predecessor, Dr. Keith Rowley, recently held discussions with Sandals Chairman Adam Stewart.
“I am happy to tell the population… that Mr. Stewart has agreed to come and speak with myself, (Tobago House of Assembly) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and other stakeholders in Tobago on Monday, the seventh,” Young said.
Calling the development a “fabulous opportunity,” Young urged Tobagonians to learn from past mistakes and not allow “a few misguided naysayers” to derail potential economic growth.
Sandals’ previous withdrawal in 2019
In January 2019, Sandals abandoned plans to construct a 750-room luxury resort on Tobago’s Buccoo Estate, commonly referred to as No Man’s Land. The property was acquired by the government as part of efforts to recover a TT$15 billion debt owed by CL Financial.
At the time, then-Sandals CEO Gebhard Rainer cited negative publicity as the main reason for pulling out, noting concerns raised by some Tobago officials about environmental impact.
“The reason for the withdrawal… is the constant and ongoing negative publicity and media coverage that we have received over the last two and half years since the inception of the project,” Rainer said.
He described the company’s decision as “unfortunate” but stated that, as a global brand, Sandals could not continue with a project that had developed a negative dynamic.
New opportunities for Tobago’s economy
With the government recently completing a state-of-the-art international terminal in Tobago, Young expressed optimism about renewed negotiations with Sandals.
“We will have all the stakeholders there for the preliminary meeting,” he said, adding that years ago, Sandals had also committed to building a Beaches resort and a Greg Norman-designed golf course in Tobago.
“Unfortunately, we allowed that opportunity to slip away from us,” he admitted.
Young pointed to the economic boost seen in St. Vincent and the Grenadines after Sandals opened a resort there.
“A project that started after where we should have been… immediately led to increased airlift and positive GDP growth,” he noted.
“This government has stayed engaged with Mr. Stewart over the years… and we now have the opportunity to engage with him once again on Monday.”
Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine recently said that while the island welcomes a Sandals-branded hotel, it must be on its own terms.
