Ignore the ignorance

THE EDITOR: I have a message for Sandals chairman Butch Stewart: do not let ignorant people drive you away because it is the good people who will suffer. I have gotten to a point where I try to avoid reading the ‘comments’, because it is an exercise in frustration. But then again, didn’t our grandparents always tell us that empty vessels make the most noise.

The empty vessels – overnight armchair tourism experts have the world to say about Sandals – blissfully ignorant that all they are doing is perpetuating the ‘mental slavery’ that the great Bob Marley sung so passionately about.

Let me ask this, how many of you know or remember or fought to know about the agreement with Hyatt, or Hilton? Do you have it Afra? If so please share, since you are protector of all. It will be the very same arrangement with Sandals because for the umpteenth time, the people of Trinidad and Tobago will own this project.

I suspect the experts missed that point. As such the revenues come to us. If Bill Gates opened a Microsoft factory here and said, 'let the people own it I’ll just manage it', what would people say? I’m sure they will say 'yes'. So why is it that when the ‘foreigners’ come we are only too happy to let them mosey on in but when a Caribbean investor comes, suddenly we are the guardians of the purse.

Nonsense. Again we show ourselves to be creatures of a colonial heritage and you know what the sad thing is, Sandals beats the heck out of Hyatt, Hilton, Couples and everybody else on the world stage.

People asking ‘why Sandals?’ Well it has been voted the World’s Best by every noted hospitality body all over the world. In fact the World Travel Awards; the Golden Globes of the Travel sector gave them it for 23 years in a row. So if you want a partner, won’t the World’s Best do? But by Trini logic we should go for fifth best, or sixth best ent?

I hear people talking about why we don’t spend a billion dollars and build a nice hotel. Well fine, but who will stay there? What are we going to call it? The Gold Hotel? And how many people in the world know about that?

Tourists go to brands they know, and Sandals has spent over 35 years getting to where they are, that is when Sandals say jump, the airlines and everyone else says how high. You think any new hotel, as wonderful as it might be can have that kind of power overnight?

We don’t have 35 years to spare, Tobago will die – we need a big gun now, and there is none bigger than Sandals. Wake up and educate yourselves people, and then we can all have a sensible discussion.

Y. MAHARAJ via email