St Vincent PM defends Sandals Resort from ‘mindless’ criticism

The Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, expressed disappointment with the criticisms that have been directed towards the Sandals Resort in Buccament Bay.

The criticisms have been largely unfounded and based on false information, which has led to a lot of uproar from certain quarters.

The resort is set to officially open on March 27 and will host the VIII Summit for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on March 1, 2024.

One of the main concerns that has been raised is the issue of local fishermen, farmers, and taxi operators not benefiting as they should be in terms of supplying their produce and services.

However, the Prime Minister has responded to these concerns by stating that Sandals had several consultations with taxi and minibus operators to discuss transportation.

He noted that the people being transported from the airport to the hotel and back are overwhelmingly local taximen and tour operators, which are local providers of these services.

Moreover, he explained that hotels of this caliber typically do not buy from a multiplicity of individual suppliers. Instead, local suppliers have to put themselves together or somebody has to put them together.

The Prime Minister believes that aggregating agricultural products for sale is a good business opportunity that could be pursued by local entrepreneurs.

He has urged businesspeople to get involved in this question of aggregating agricultural products for sale, but it would appear that no one was paying attention.

Overall, the Prime Minister emphasized that local taxi operators and fishermen will have to maintain their standards if they want to sell directly to Sandals.

The St Vincent Tourism Authority gives approval, training, and certification to taxi operators for what the marketplace requires in dealing with tourists.

The same goes for local fishermen, as the items being sold to Sandals need to be properly packaged and brought in a condition where quality is assured.

In the end, the Prime Minister hopes that local entrepreneurs will take advantage of the opportunities available to them, and that the Sandals Resort will bring positive changes to the community.