28/05/2024

Sandals Resorts recognised as a key sustainable tourism partner

By Sandals

Barely two months after opening its newest resort in Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, Sandals Resorts hosted some 361 travel advisors there for its annual
Sandals Travel Advisor Recognition or STAR Awards function. This is a staple event where Sandals
awards the top performing travel advisors from all over the world. It also allowed these travel advisors,
many of whom have never been to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines before, the opportunity to
experience the beauty of this previously unexplored destination.
Minister of Tourism Carlos John commended the investment made by Sandals to promote the
destination, and the economic benefits that will accrue to St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a result. At
the same time the Minister said his government was also committed to maintaining the pristine beauty
of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, “It’s one of the last Caribbean destinations which hasn’t really fully
developed into a mass tourism island, and I want to tell you, we don’t intend to go that route. We are
big on environmental sustainability, we are big on conservation, and we are big on preserving our nature
and what we have, and we want to ensure that we protect it.”
In helping to achieve this goal, Minister James said the island has found the perfect sustainable tourism
partner in Sandals Resorts, “this relationship is not one that is built on solely economic terms, it is one
that is built on partnership. It is one that we value as a development partner, it’s not a business
relationship, and it’s a relationship we believe in. We are building this together. St. Vincent and the
Grenadines is now moving into a different era of its tourism and we depend on the relationship we have
forged with Sandals.”
Sandals Executive Chairman Adam Stewart, said sustainable tourism is exactly what the company values
and is seeking to develop, “the government is taking a view of development here in this country of
sustainability, of world class, of boutique, of luxury and of quality that makes it a destination that gets
Sandals attention. Sandals 2.0 means a lot of things, but you’re feeling it right here; 50 acres, the path
less travelled …a tourism destination that is difficult to develop to this level but we have never been
afraid of it. Any one of our competitors would have put a 1000 rooms or more on this property …but
Sandals 2.0 will never take you there. It’s going to continue to be an elevated experience.”
It was welcome news to the hundreds of travel advisors who attended the Star Awards, with Heather
Tate of Whimsical Destinations declaring that this is just what her clients are looking for, “I want them to
experience destinations that have not been overly commercialized, and I want them to go somewhere
that is not just a destination they forgot because it was just another beach, there are so many places like

that. But I think people want to go where they can have unique experiences, ones that they will
remember, and that’s what they will find at Sandals in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”