Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles said he was tremendously disappointed at the decision by Sandals to withdraw plans for a hotel in Tobago.
In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, Charles said: “This is a tremendous blow to our tourism thrust, which is one of the intended drivers of the Tobago economy.”
He said, the tourism industry is labour intensive and the Sandals project would have provided employment directly and indirectly to other sectors such as agriculture, inclusive of agro-processing, services and even construction
“The Sandals brand would have contributed to the improvement of airlift to Tobago, as well as the room stock, both in terms of quantity and quality, particularly in the absence of five-star hotels on the island,” he said
The Chief Secretary added that the Sandals brand would have helped in marketing Tobago internationally. He said Grenada’s recently publicized experience attests to what a Sandals can do. However, he said, the THA is committed to continuing working with the Central Government to facilitate and attract investment opportunities in the island’s tourism sector.