The Massy group chief executive, Gervase Warner, has come out in support of the establishment of a Sandals resort in Tobago.
He did, however, acknowledge concerns over the likelihood of a long tax holiday and its location in an environmentally sensitive area.
“I do not know of a single place where a big hotel like Sandals has not got a sweetheart deal because Sandals transforms countries and industries,” said Warner, who runs one of T&T’s largest and oldest businesses.
In an exclusive interview on Friday at his Edward St, Port-of-Spain office, Warner told Express Business: “If the government can get a Sandals in Tobago, it should take it. Sandals will generate employment that is desperately needed in Tobago. They will generate opportunities for foreign exchange to come into the country. They are going to transform the capability set and the competence of Trinidadians and Tobagonians who work with them,” Warner said, referencing the “huge lift in the service quality in the tourism industry” that the establishment of the Hyatt hotel in downtown Port-of-Spain had on T&T.
Similarly, he said, the possible Sandals investment in T&T should be welcome because it has the potential to transform the country’s tourism offering and increase international airlift directly to Tobago.
Source: Anthony Wilson, trinidadexpress.com
