Tourism Projects launched in UK

in the UK

The Buccament Beach Resort has taken another step to fulfilling its promise as the first massive tourism development on mainland St Vincent.{{more}}

On July 13th and 14th, the exquisite Grove Luxury Hotel in Watford, England, was filled with about 2,500 actual and potential investors, tourism marketing and travel agency

executives and government officials from several Caribbean countries who gathered for Harlequin Hotels and Resorts grand launch of three of their resorts.

Harlequin’s chairman, Englishman Dave Ames, spared no expense to showcase his dream of putting together a multifaceted partnership to develop these multi-million dollar, five-star resorts.

The first of these resorts, Buccament Beach Resort, is set to have its first phase opened by July 1st next year. “We are so excited about the economic benefits it (the resort) will bring to St Vincent and the Grenadines,” said wife of Vincentian Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Eloise Gonsalves, when she addressed hundreds of Harlequin’s investors.

She was part of a large Vincentian delegation flown in to London by Ames to celebrate the launch. The delegation also included the Chairman of the National Investment Promotion Incorporated, Edmond Jackson, Chairman of the Tourism Authority, Joel Providence, and the Authority’s CEO, Yvonne Armour Shilingford. Parliamentary Representative for the South Leeward constituency, where the resort is located, Dr Douglas Slater, was also included in a team that was led by Minister of Tourism Glen Beache.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves was scheduled to attend but could not make it. When she spoke to SEARCHLIGHT, Mrs. Gonsalves said that the project is timely and lines up with the overall developmental goals of the government.

Meanwhile, Minister Beache was a hit when he made several presentations to investors over the two days. During one of his short addresses, he said that Harlequin has “been better than expected.”

He noted that Buccament will be the first of Ames’ dream projects in the Caribbean to be operational, and assured all present that “the government and people are very much behind the project and support it fully.”

The friendly, constant jostling between Beache and St Lucia Prime Minister Stephenson King over which destination was the crème de la crème of the two had the audience constantly in stitches.

Prime Minister King told SEARCHLIHT that Harlequin’s development of the Marquis Estate, which includes two hotels and a first class golf course, is in keeping with his government’s developmental plans for St Lucia.

Beache had high praise for the unique model that is being followed in the development of these hotels, including the impressive partnerships with the renowned Spanish hotel chain Oasis, which will be operating the resorts, the Liverpool Football Club and former tennis star Pat Cash.

Cash and Liverpool will be operating sports academies from each of the resorts.

The restaurants at the resorts will be operated by the legendary Restaurant chain Trader Vic’s – another testament of what Ames referred to several times as his partnership model, in the development and operation of these resorts.

Beache told SEARCHLIGHT that the kind of advertising that the launch gave to St Vincent and the Grenadines cannot be paid for.

He announced that ground will be broken for the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Hospitality and Marine Institute this year, noting that it is important that the institute is ready to begin training persons for the wide range of tourism industry jobs. Following a European Union consultation, it was decided that the institute will be located at Diamond.

Beache also assured investors that the Argyle International Airport will be ready by the first quarter of 2012, to which the full operation of the resort is tied.

“In speaking to investors, once they heard about the international airport, they invested in Buccament because they know St Vincent and the Grenadines is a destination that will be taking off,” Beache said.

The two day event was also pleasing for newly appointed CEO of the local Tourism Authority, Yvonne Armour-Shillingford, who said that she was encouraged by the “buzz created.”

Armour-Shillingford said that as the Harlequin project comes on stream, it is important that standards be established and fully implemented in the destination.

She said that after all the hype about St Vincent and the Grenadines, visitors must be treated to services and products of internationally accepted standards.

She said that she expects consultations with stakeholders in the tourism industry to begin within the next few months.

She also told SEARCHLIGHT that the Tourism Authority held meetings with Harlequin and Oasis and they have agreed to work on some joint marketing strategies with the Authority.

Besides the now estimated US$250 million Buccament Beach Resort, and the one in St Lucia that is being developed on about 700 acres of land, Harlequin is also developing properties in Barbados and two in the Dominican Republic.

Representatives from these countries were also on hand at the official launch.