by Brian Major
Last updated: 5:15 PM ET, Thu November 29, 2018
Government officials in Trinidad and Tobago released a memorandum of understanding document outlining details of a proposal for Sandals Resorts International (SRI) to build a Sandals Tobago property on the Caribbean nation's sister island of Tobago this week.
The information was released one day before the MOU was subject to judicial review, said government officials at a November 28 press briefing attended by officials including Adam Stewart, Sandals Resorts group deputy chairman and Stuart Young, Trinidad and Tobago's minister of communications and national security.
"The parties agree this MOU is not legally binding but it indicates the sincere intent of the parties to reach a legally binding agreement that incorporates these terms," said Young. "We executed a MOU to govern discussions going forward. We are moving to the stage of negotiation of commercial contracts and developmental agreement and other contracts which would flow from that."
Young said details of the project, including the number of rooms, remain undetermined. Nevertheless, Trinidad and Tobago will finance and own the project, while the properties will be designed to specifications required by Sandals and in accordance with the Sandals brand and their development teams.
Young said the arrangement would be] similar to the Hyatt model and Trinidad Hilton model that has worked successfully over the years. He recommended that any government incentives offered to Sandals be likewise extended to other Tobago hoteliers.
The project will also bring up to 80,000 visitors to Tobago annually and deliver an economic impact of up to $80 million per year, said Young. The resort will employ up to 2,000 local residents. Stewart said Sandals officials hope to make Tobago an "international luxury vacation destination" within 10 years.
The government will put environmental considerations at the project's forefront said Young. Sandals has "utilized best-in-class technology with their other projects in other islands," he said, adding that "the first consultants that we hired were environmental consultants."
Young also said that the Sandals Tobago project will not "occupy or block access" to the naturally Sheerbird's Point region, known locally as "No Man's Land." He said Sandals would enhance the area by adding facilities including bathrooms.
Kevin Charles, a Tobago politician, earlier told the Trinidad Guardian news site that he and other Tobago businessmen "are fully on board" with the Sandals Tobago project. "We do not currently have any five-star hotels in Tobago and what will be coming with a Sandals brand is a five-star hotel," he said.
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