myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Well, I guess everyone is wondering which Mango Tree Colm Imbert fell out of.

2,000 employees for the build … employed by who, where from and for how long?

1,500 employees for a 1,000 roomed Hotel? Expected to rise to 2,000 by year 5?

Local transportation businesses to have contractual rights for transportation to and from the airport?

US$75 million of revenue for Tobago … hmmm yes, and wait for it … they will be coming up with remote controls to switch the sea on and off or at least turn down the volume.


Transportation

Let’s start with the transportation … building a new Terminal at the airport would have made sense over 5 years ago but the tourism is so low now that investing in this infrastructure is a massive gamble for the THA … who is going to pay for it? Sandals?

I am sure that Richard Branson asked the THA to build a better airport 20 years ago … it didn’t happen and Virgin stopped flights and now only do package holidays to Tobago. Richard Branson will likely want a piece of this action but I sense he will sit back and see what goes on before getting involved.

On the other hand, this could work if a Terminal is built at the eastern end of the strip. A swathe could be cut through the surrounding area to provide access to and from the Airport near the Shirvan Road so that the airport traffic avoids clogging up the Milford Road through Crown Point.

In fact, this could be a general improvement all round, regardless of the Sandals Resort proposition.

Now, if this be the case, there is no way on earth that a 1,000 roomed Sandals Resort is going to pay Taxi Drivers to shuttle the tourists to and from the airport … we are talking Coaches, Buses or, how about this … a Boat to ferry tourists to the Resort from the Airport?


Infrastructure

This has not really been covered much and most of the eco concern is with the Bon Accord Mangrove area. How close will the resort get to this vital area for the local marine life?

Will Sandals propose any conservation initiatives and leave it alone or could this calm, protected area be vital for their precious tourists to safely board boats?

How about the people of Buccoo? Could there be compulsory orders to remove parts of the community to make way for the Resort? Such a large resort will need an impressive entrance too … what about the Goats and the Goat races? Sunday School? All of these are customary to Buccoo … how will it change?

Where will waste go? The Sea or the Bon Accord lagoon? Has Sandals any proposals on any Eco friendly ways to break down all the detergents and human poo … it has to go somewhere?

I am still waiting to find out who is paying for the airport … ?


Sandals

Sandals is a major global brand with a decent reputation.

Many tourists around the World repeatedly buy holidays with this brand and, if Sandals recommends Tobago, the tourists will surely go.

But I am not sure if Sandals has really looked at this. There could be resistance, particularly from the residents of Buccoo and probably many local businesses that will be opposed to a threat to their livelihood should foreign businesses be brought in to monopolise trade or to make the prices of goods and services impossible to match.

I just cannot see Sandals buying fruit from a roadside Grocer.

Don’t forget, Sandals is a business and it will want it’s cut and I sense most of the trips will be arranged in-house. Where local operators come into the equation I sense they will be driven down on their prices and Sandals will profit.

Has Sandals looked at the general situation in Tobago?

I would say that the Magdalena (ironically owned by the THA) was at 20% of capacity when I visited the resort in January 2017 (I just had a look around ... as you do).

Grand Courlan, Rex Turtle, Mount Irvine and the other resorts around Crown Point were either completely empty or no more than 10% capacity.

Coco Reef is not much better and needs decorating.

Arnos Vale is closed.

The Blue Waters Inn in Speyside seemed to be having the best trade but then there is little competition at that end of Tobago.

Sandals’ brand will bring more tourists although I am not sure of for how long but I sense that if the Sandals ‘badge’ was placed on any of the other resorts then there could be some longer term success with a smaller resort that would likely be purchased very cheaply under the current circumstances … that would be a low risk proposition to Sandals … it could then expand after it has tested the waters, so to speak.

In my opinion, as well as the THA with the airport, Sandals are taking a massive gamble with such a large resort proposition. If THA has any sense (or if Colm Imbert did not sustain brain damage from his fall out of the Mango Tree) then the Magdalena would seem like an ideal business proposition to me.


Summary

Tobago is too small for this ‘big resortisis’ and Sandals is too big for Tobago.

There will be no winners.

Just my opinion.

Paul,

You are a master debater!

Bravo!

From what I have read, is not Trinidad and Tobago paying for and building the resort? Sandals will only be managing it. So Sandals does not have much to risk. It looks like the government will be responsible for any eco concerns, waste and problems that may come up.

Thank you, excellent post, Paul!
Unfortunately, I believe that many of your arguments are never answered by the officials.

PS
Did anyone in this context ever think about the consequences of climate change (sea level rise), especially for the planned project or for Tobago as a whole?

Well said, Paul. Hugh is spot on.

I confess that I see both sides of the coin on this one. A resort of this size would change so much that it would almost certainly mark the end of my association with Tobago. However, I equally fear for what will happen to the island if a major development like that doesn't go ahead. It is all very worrying. With the government/administration failing to honour their promises to the Bearded One to rebuild the airport terminal for their Virgin flights all those years ago, I don't see any promises on airport expansion being anything more than a pipe dream. Frankly, I don't see anything happening in the next 10 years. I bet there's an awful lot of contractors filling brown paper envelopes and making moves on the greasy politicos now though, in anticipation of all the possible work ahead.

On a change of subject: message for Phil - can you kindly contact me please. I've tried to contact you but your email address is bouncing.

About the existing airport, do I remember wrong or wasn´t the airport to be expanded on the western side when they first was talking about more visitors via Virgin Airlines? I do remember they did clean out the area but no new airport building did come. They only made a few changes int the existing terminal building.

To let T&T build a new one would never happen, they can not afford that. and they have no skilled peoples enough who can do it either. That would be a lot of work done, but I do not believe it would be finish at all, just a lot of money that would go into wrong peoples pocket.

And a New Big Hotel for Sandals? It would be far better if they invested money into one of the existing hotels on the Caribbean side that are not doing any real business at all now.
Magdalena does look nice but to have such a resort on the Atlantic side, always getting the wet air from the Atlantic side, that will only create a high amount of repair and re-building as they already have done. No real beach at all either on that place, that area is always very windy.

Phil ... I have been trying to contact you too ... you know my mobile (I hope) but PM me if you don't. I am back around 16th December so it would be nice to meet up again and engorge ourselves at the Suck Hole.

T&T funding the whole thing? I cannot see that being achievable ... they are barking mad . Assuming this could be a plan, has THA negotiated a Lease with Sandals? It won't be US$75 million a year ... no way.

If Sandals charge say an average of US$1,500 per week per room (excluding 'all exclusive' add on's) and all the 1,000 rooms are occupied all year round that's US$78 million ... we know that is not going to happen ... Sandals will have to hope that the less profitable add-on's such as All Inclusive, trips, weddings etc will make the difference.



Thank you Hugh ... I don't suppose you will be in Tobago over the New Year?



Essener ... I have mentioned the sea level in some other posts ... there is definite sea level rise around Pigeon Pointless and it seems to affect some areas more than others ... but they may do a Coco Reef and put sea defenses up ... more cost.



Ronald ... ideally T&T would employ their own on their miserly minimum wage but your right, they would need to pay for outside specialised resources and they will probably be paid 5 to 10 times the T&T wage, or more.



I don't think that anything more than an architect's draft has gone into this ... if they start they will deal with the obstacles as they arise ... 'Oh dear, we forgot about the waste destination' ... and 'we never realised it would cost so much'.

In view of this, I hope Steve is right ... as soon as (hopefully) the initial work is started the THA may realise that this is not feasible ... especially if the THA are funding the whole project.



I hope that there is not too much damage done before they realise the futility of their proposition.


Please keep the contributions coming ... it would be great to hear from the THA !!

Regards

Oooh - looks like 2 hotels now! Sandals and Sandals Beaches!
http://holidayplace.co.uk/news/details/ ... -in-tobago

Interesting! My best guess is that was always the intention and that that original plan of a 1000-bed hotel was always actually two adjacent 500-bed hotels. That would make more sense. I'm still not convinced it will ever happen though.

I think it will go ahead Steve.....there are too many fingers circling the pie at the moment and certain politicians want their share of it!!!!

Sometimes they keep a non-profitable business running in one country, they can use what they loose there to take down profits in an other country. In all they pay less taxes and as a result they make more money!
But if Sandals really start in Tobago, I Guess it will mostly be their own long term guests from their own chain of resort.

Unfortunately it looks like it is happening. My local friend, a Buccoo resident, says the works have already begun..

Hah.

I remain confident that the work may never be completed in my life time, health permitting of course ... if the THA cannot complete the very small new structures in Charlotteville and Castara within 3 years, how long will it take them to complete this mega-project?

It's like ... it is physically impossible for 1 person to fix a light bulb because, sadly, it takes 30 other persons to turn the house around to screw the light bulb into it's socket ... under the orders of others.

Of course, I mean no disrespect to any hard working Tobagonian that gets lucky enough to have any gainful employment from this venture ... it's the THA thinkers that sustained cerebral injuries when they fell out of the mango trees that we need to worry about.

You just wait and see

Regards

Any updates on this?
(I'll be staying on Estate Rd, near the Bon Accord Lagoon, in Feb. 2019, and am curious what to expect in the neighbourhood.)

Likewise!

I have seen photos that the Scarlet Ibis have started to nest around Bon Accord Lagoon ... could this be a factor in whether the Sandals project goes ahead or not?

Regards

'' They are running pipes for the sewage '' as my local friend said when I asked him about the "project" last week...I hope this is as far as they will get in the next 30 years..

Rumor has it that the pipes will empty out at the Nylon Pool.

the project was rated 4th priority in this week's budget. to be owned by the government (which almost guarantees monumental foul-ups) and operated by sandals.

i'm beginning to have different feelings about this and expect that this won't be a wholly popular view but here goes ! i wouldn't normally welcome this type of development and certainly not in that area but, frankly, visitors to the island are at rock bottom and tourism if not dead is certainly getting the last rites. i'm wondering if anything that raises the profile is worth a try ?

the much vaunted trickle-down is based on some highly dodgy numbers but if, say, only 10% of the people at sandals/beaches venture out then there is benefit. i note that the increased airlift would be available as "seat only" and again begin to think about the percentages - would 5% of the passengers be independent travellers ? 10% ?

the economic modelling projects income to the government of approx $TT500m. a significant move away from the gas/oil dependency.

normally, budgetary allocation to the THA is measured in millions - it was in billions this year which signasl that the major tourism infrastructure projects (airport/sandals/magdalena) potentially have funding

the road digging stuff in the area is WASA who are completing the works for the new sewerage in the SW. in practice this just means that there is even less potholed road to drive on

paul

I believe Tobago would get a LOT of tourists if many Tobagonians changed their attitude towards tourists and created restaurants with affordable, well cooked meals served with a smile......I KNOW we "intrude" on their island when we visit as tourists, but I get the feeling that many Tobagonians care not one whit if there are tourists on the island or not. That is why people like Sheppy and Brian made such an impression on me-FANTASTIC people, but fewer and far between compared to other caribbean islands I have visited, such as St Cristopher, Nevis Long Island, Bahamas, Bequia or Anguilla. I also totally agree that a 1000 bed complex in Tobago would be a complete horror.