Above: Sandals LaSource Grenada

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The entry of resort company Sandals to Grenada’s market is a “tide that could lift all boats” in the tourism industry, Grenada Prime Minister Tillman Thomas said following the launch of the project this week.

The company, which purchased the shuttered LaSource property, is bringing its first-ever resort to the island. It will be rebranding it the Sandals LaSource Grenada Resort & Spa.

“My government considers the coming of Sandals to Grenada as a strategic addition to the hotel sector and a potential game-changer for our tourism industry,” he said. “For these reasons, we have facilitated their investment with a package of incentives.”

The precise incentives given have not yet

Thomas said that the government was mindful of the “tough time” the industry is going through in the region and in Grenada, and that tourism has been identified as one of the five “transformational sectors” placed at the centre of the country’s Investment Promotion Strategy.

The government is currently reviewing its investment incentives and support framework, along with studying a proposal funded by the European Union.

He also said his government had heard the call for the allocation of more resources for marketing.

“Our disposition is to do the best that we can within our limited fiscal space, while being open to new approaches,” he said. “This is the kind of dialogue we intend to continue having with the GHTA.”

Sandals founder Gordon “Butch” Stewart said earlier this week that the property was the culmination of a nearly 12-year search.

The Prime Minister said his government was pleased at the “promise of the transfer of skills to Grenadians and an improvement of service in the industry.”

He also said he would urge the company to buy as much of its supplies as possible from local suppliers, particularly the farming community.

“It is clear that many see this development as the tide that could lift all boats,” Thomas said.