Ahead of tomorrow’s first major international tourism industry event at Sandals Resorts International (SRI) 21st branded luxury Caribbean resort in St. Vincent & The Grenadines (SVG), Executive Chairman Adam Stewart loudly repeated his constant earlier calls for regional stakeholders to “unite and work together”, if the Caribbean is to secure the success of its tourism sector.
Delivering the keynote address at the 2024 Sustainable Tourism Conference in Grenada on April 22nd – a month ahead of Thursday’s awarding of hundreds of star global travel agents at its first property in a 9th Caribbean island — Stewart noted that it’s only when there is strong partnership among private and public sectors and stakeholders that true sustainability in the regional tourism industry can be achieved.
The conference, organized by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), focused on five key elements for sustainability: People, Planet, Prosperity, Purpose and Partnership.
Stewart maintained that it is that last element “Partnership” which is key, saying: “Perhaps the most-powerful part of the ‘Five Ps’ is Partnership, meaning public/private partnership.”
He explained that “The public sector has a role and the private sector has a role and the degree to which those two things come together determines your gains and your future.
“So our job, through my eyes in the short time I get to talk it’s unity — for all of us to come together, to stand together, to take head-on the challenges that we face and to find a way to include everybody.”
The Sandals boss noted that regional stakeholders have already demonstrated that it can be done, urging participants at the conference to throw their minds back to the COVID pandemic, when all sectors joined hands making the Caribbean the fastest recovering region for tourism anywhere on the planet.
“We pulled together, we unified. We, for the first time in the Caribbean, recognised that we are only as strong as we are together.
“We worked with the farmers, we worked with the transportation sector, the tour providers, the fishers, the entertainers, even the priests and pastors.
“I saw the most beautiful harmony take place. I saw cruise ships working with land-based operators in a way that never happened before. The whole supply chain, the linkages came together.”
Stewart maintained that this lesson must never be forgotten, but should instead be the template which drives regional tourism into a bright future.
He said, “I believe we must approach all of this with humility, with inclusivity and with open dialogue. We as business leaders and as policy makers in government, have to dig deeper.
“We have to stop relying on, or pointing to and say ‘That’s government business’ or ‘That’s private sector business.’ The sooner we come together with the collective will to understand that it is our Caribbean business, is the sooner we will get advancement.”
Warning that the traveller today has a wider variety of options fuelled by what they see on social media platforms, Stewart said the region must be more competitive and more ready than ever to attract and welcome visitors, which requires close cooperation between public and private sector.
He explained, “Customers don’t owe us anything. They are explorers. They have the internet and YouTube to guide them without ever leaving the living room. So, for us to talk about sustainability, we have to do a number of things in harmony.
“You win when you are frictionless. Tourism, ladies and gentlemen, is the path of least resistance. Make it easy for me to get there…”
Stewart went further to state that islands of the Caribbean should not view each other as competitors, but recognise that they are one product.
According to the CRO Executive Chair, “Antigua is not competing with Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia is not competing with Grenada and Grenada is not competing with Jamaica.
“The world says ‘Caribbean’ and they put us together. We are in the pot, whether we like it or not. We are competing against France, Italy, Germany, London, Paris, Singapore, Dubai – that’s who we are truly competing against.
“And what we can offer differently, I promise you, they can’t do it. Their beaches are not as beautiful, their people are not as warm and friendly in the way our people are, and our stories are more fascinating.”
However, Stewart said the region can only truly realise its potential when stakeholders unite and seek solutions in a non-adversarial, inclusive way with a level of maturity.
He said, “To the degree that we can get those things to work together – agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and all the services working in harmony – the private sector and the public sector, will define our future.”
Stewart noted that Sandals Resorts area perfect examples of tapping into the ,unique, yet common values of Caribbean people coming together as one.
And he offered the following “secret…”:
“Sandals, through my eyes, is no longer an organisation. It’s a platform for opportunity. It’s a benchmark for the Caribbean Dream. It is an example that it can be done, because it is being done.
“Sandals is a Super Brand. It started from Ground Zero to a Top 500 world brand – and that should make all of us as Caribbean people not only proud, but show that it is possible.”