Please allow me a chance to talk about opportunities.
There is a message I feel is important to share, which is that people should not sit down and wait for opportunities to come; they must get up and make them. Sometimes I feel like too many people are wishing and waiting for someone to put something in their hands instead of stepping up and getting ready for the opportunities that will come.
I am, of course, referring to the soon-to-be opened Sandals Resorts at Buccament and the amazing opportunities that it will be bringing to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while at the same time urging our local entrepreneurs to position themselves to take advantage of the economic tide that will soon flow in. Let us put away any politics or grandstanding; this moment is too important for us as a country and too important for our future.
I was pleased to read recently on the news the partnership that was announced with our local artisans and Sandals, and I feel that is just the tip of the iceberg. But I also believe that it was easy for such a partnership to be struck because these are people who have invested time and effort in building a quality product. So others should be guided by what they have done and understand that if you want to work with one of the top companies in the world, then you must give them a quality product. And I know now for a fact that we have right here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines incredibly talented people.
However, we must understand that it is time to go to the next level. It is time for our taxi and bus operators, our farmers and fishermen, our tour operators, and even our hotels and guest houses to move to the next level. Not only in the way they themselves operate, but in their ability to come together to reap the rewards that will become available.
It is important for us to remember that when Sandals opens, it will not be for a fortnight or a month. It will not be for six months or a year; this is a project that will serve generations of our Vincy people. All you have to do is look at their track record: over 30 years in St. Lucia, over 30 years in Antigua, over 15 years in Barbados, and, of course, over 40 years in Jamaica.
I truly feel we need to stop focusing on short-term gains and start thinking about what this project means for our children and their children. My hope is that this project can now generate a training revolution, getting our young people ready and equipped to be the best qualified hospitality professionals in the world. And I am not just talking about bartenders and servers; this is a high-end business, which means it will need engineers, technicians, IT people, landscapers, salespeople, decorators and architects, accountants, lawyers, and other professionals. And if we get this right, who knows what else is going to come?
So let us seize the day and seize the opportunities; let us focus on the positives and stop dwelling on the negatives. Sandals track record has always left a positive impact wherever it goes, and it is our time now, so let us take it with both hands.
