Sandals is the number one Indigenous product of the Caribbean and when you stop to think of what the company’s social and economic impact has been, it is impressive. So much so that the World Travel and Tourism Council recently recognized Sandals as a new champion of the Caribbean and the Honorable Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness named Sandals’ Executive Chair Adam Stewart, an official Ambassador of the country.
For Sandals, success is so much more than just visiting their resorts; it’s a twofold strategy that benefits both guests and industry.
That strategy is Sandals 2.0 and on Wednesday at the Sandals Jamaica Love Showcase in Montego Bay, Stewart and his team detailed how it’s going for further enhance the Caribbean tourism experience while driving innovation in the the destinations in which they operate.
“You know already that Sandals, 2.0 is changing the game, and it's going to continue to change the game,” Stewart told the crowd of 1,000 agents and partners. “Today is a gathering of the tourism ecosystem, this is what we do and we believe strongly in the future. Jamaica is having a moment, and it's never been better.
We're going to make sure that as you look to the future, you know that more sexy Sandals hotels are coming. Our competing hotels are coming down the road. What is good for the goose is good for the gander and it's all great for Jamaica.”
Stewart says the Sandals Jamaica Love Showcase spans beyond Sandals, something that Stewart says is important to remember. After all, Jamaica’s economy is seeing leaps and bounds; debt to GDP has gone from 148% to 70% in the last decade, hailing as an IMF poster child "turnaround state." Jamaica has three times more money than ever and has given their Armed Forces three times the money than they did 10 years ago to fight crime crime which is at a record low. Unemployment which Stewart says once went as high as 20% hovers around 4.5% now.
“Adam Stewart is making sure that Sandals 2.0 is a reality here in the corridor and across the country,” Edmund Bartlett, Tourism Minister for Jamaica told the crowd. “Listening to his plans, I felt what it means to regenerate, to reimagine, to reposition, and to create what is a renaissance that will move Sandals and Jamaica tourism to the next level in this post-COVID period.”
It's important to break down how that distribution of tourism dollars impact the country. Bartlett says travel advisors are most important partners who have in the last 30 years, made tourism the number one economic activity in Jamaica. And that has grown consistently every year at a rate of 3% per annum, higher than the GDP rate of growth. The bulk of those tourism dollars are driven by Sandals who is the largest contributor with seven Sandals and two Beaches on the island. 20% of Jamaica’s workforce works in tourism.
“It gives us the capacity to pay for goods and services that we need to import and more importantly, says to our creditors we’ll be able to pay our bills whenever you give us credit,” says Bartlett. “All of that is because of the tourism capacity.
It took us over 50 years to make our first $ 1Billion (USD) in tourism and now in just eight years, we’ve made $2 Billion."
Edmund Bartlett and Adam Stewart (Photo Credit: Marsha Mowers)
For the Sandals traveller, Sandals 2.0 will mean redesigned rooms, more sustainability, more Sandals locations, two story over water bungalows, and food and beverage programs that will deliver even more options and quality. Sandals 2.0 properties include the newly renovated Sandals Dunn River, as well as the recently opened Curacao and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
“Sandals represents the best example of Jamaica fulfilling its potential,” said Holness. “Sandals is a world class company, born right here in Jamaica. Many captains of the industry are here in this audience, many under my administration and we are doing very well. We want Jamaica to be known for its safety and security, we want to be known for our sustainability and seamless travel and we want to be known for our service and satisfaction. And we always want her to be sexy.
For the first time, we are at that point, where we can turn our potential into reality. We have introduced certainty into the financial and economic environment and can make longer strategic investments without worrying and that is the foundation for us to move to the next step.”
“We want to tell you that the world loves Jamaica, but more importantly than that, Jamaica loves the world,” said Stewart. “We love when you come to our country and celebrate with us, we are a place of peace. We are a place of love. This is Jamaica.”
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
