“Make Tobago the 6th.”
Those were the words from Prime Minister Stuart Young to Sandals Executive Chairman, Adam Stewart, following a meeting with Tobago stakeholders on Monday.
“They have six investments – no, five investments right now – of new hotels throughout the Caribbean that they are embarking on. I told him to make Tobago the sixth.”
Describing it as a ‘cordial meeting’ with the Sandals Executive Chairman, Prime Minister Young said there were promising discussions, with Tobago collectively agreeing on a resolution to invite Sandals Resorts International to consider investing in Tobago.
“We all recognise the period that we’re in, and we’re three weeks away from a General Election, so we did not put any timeline on it because we just wanted the opportunity for this first step.”
He said certain details were discussed but noted that nothing is yet set in stone.
“There was some discussion as to the sites, etc., location, I said, hey, let us not jump ahead of ourselves. There was also the question raised about the environmental NGOs, and the answer to that was that the environmental NGOs’ participation at this stage is premature because the first thing we need to do is get a ‘yes’ from Mr. Stewart and the Sandals Group that they’re prepared to come to Tobago.”
The members of the meeting included Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, Assemblyman of the THA Watson Duke, President of the All Tobago Fisher Folk Association Curtis Douglas, Ministers Randall Mitchell, Ayanna Webster-Roy, and Shamfa Cudjoe, Minority Leader of the THA Kelvon Morris, and President of the Tobago Business Chamber, Martin George, among others.
Prime Minister Young said the stakeholders collectively agreed on a resolution to invite Sandals to consider investing in the island, with a positive remark from Mr. Stewart.
“He has undertaken that they will go back, they will have the necessary discussions, and I am hoping in the not-too-distant future the Sandals Group will take a positive decision.”
Despite a previous attempt to absorb Sandals in Tobago, Mr. Young said both parties agreed to start on a “clean slate.”
“He did also say to us that it’s a clean slate. He is prepared from an investment point of view to indicate to all of us who are gathered there today that their usual model is one where he is prepared to invest in the plant, as we call it, the hotel itself.”
Prime Minister Young said he is looking forward to welcoming Mr. Stewart and the Sandals Group on April 29th, should they take the decision to invest in Tobago.