Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Plans to Make Some Noise

A favourite destination of the British Royal Family is growing the Saint Vincent and Grenadines hotel stock by leaps and bounds, and they want to bring agents in to see what the fuss is all about.

Following an event with travel advisors in Ottawa on 16OCT, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines tourism officials hosted trade and consumer media on the shores of Lake Ontario on 17OCT.

Carlos James, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development and Culture, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, said Sandals is opening a 301-room resort next March. There also is a 250-room Marriott on the way for the west coast of Saint Vincent, just north of the Sandals property, as well as a Holiday Inn Express near the international airport.

All told, he expects up to 1,000 new rooms in the next two to three years. But the emphasis is on sustainable, eco-friendly, boutique properties.

“We’re not in the business of mass tourism. We don’t want 1,000-room hotels.”

James said Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is getting a lot of buzz these days.

“Agents are looking for something new, something fresh, something exciting.”

The island nation, almost exactly five hours from YYZ, is made up of 32 islands and cays, he said, and is “the most diverse Caribbean destination.”

Saint Vincent island, which opened a new international airport to take larger jets just a few years ago, is a volcanic island with waterfalls, rugged mountains and black sand beaches. Yours truly visited eight or nine years ago and had a marvelous time checking out small villages and sparkling waterfalls, including Dark View Falls.

The Grenadines are a series of small islands with white-sand beaches and some of the best hotels in the Caribbean. Mustique has long been home to the likes of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. Just last week, brother Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted in another island in the Grenadines, Canouan.

James said celebrities are left alone when they visit his country, and told a story of having a quiet beer recently with Mick Jagger.

Bequia is the closest of the Grenadines to Saint Vincent and is easily reached by ferry. The main street in Port Elizabeth is an old-school delight, while Princess Margaret Beach is one of the best stretches of sand on the island. The Bequia Beach Hotel is a fabulous spot on the eastern coast.

Located on the sleepy, tiny island of Mayreau, Saltwhistle Bay might be the prettiest beach in the Caribbean.

James noted that the Grenadines and the Tobago Cays offer some of the world’s best sailing. He also pointed out that wedding licenses for his country can now be arranged online, versus the former “in person only” registration process.

Alex De Brito, COO of Palm Island Resort in the Grenadines, said the resort has just 45 rooms and two villas. They’re adding two more villas.

Sadly, he said with a smile, there are only six beaches for  guests to enjoy.

Palm Island Resort also has a sailboat named the Pink Lady and two catamarans for daytime or sunset cruises.

James said Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are bringing in an incentive program for agents, with prizes or top sales. Advisors should visit https://discoversvgpro.com/ and log in to get certified as an official SVG agent.

He also said he wants to bring in more agents in for fam trips.

Sandals also wants to bring in lots of travel advisors, said Maureen Barnes-Smith, VP Sales & Marketing, Unique Vacations Canada.

Barnes-Smith said Sandals is talking to Air Canada Vacations about special deals and has a contest where advisors can win a five-night trip,

There also are deals for consumers, with savings of up to $1,000 USD.

One great feature at Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, an all-inclusive resort on Buccament Bay, are the vendor stalls and artisan shops.

“We want to bring the community to the resort, and bring the resort to the community,” Barnes-Smith said.

Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will mark the ninth Caribbean destination and 18th Sandals resort for Sandals Resorts International (SRI) when it welcomes its first guests on 27MAR 2024. Now open for reservations, the more than 50-acre sprawling resort unlocks an entirely new island experience that invites guests to bask in its unspoiled beauty with Two-Story Overwater Villas, meandering rivers and other sensational “Sandals Firsts.”

Surrounded by bountiful local fresh herbs, produce, fish and even one of the largest cattle farms in the Caribbean, dining at Sandals Saint Vincent and

The Grenadines will bring the local agriculture forward for guests to savour across 16 food and beverage concepts.

“We welcome Sandals to our list of ultra luxury and exclusive offerings, and this will add significant value to our tourism product," James said.

“Canadians have shown great confidence in our destination, and this is evidenced by year over year increases in visitor arrivals from Canada. My visit here will give me better insight into how we can improve our offerings, following meetings with various players in the travel trade and media and airline officials.”

Air Canada later this month will begin direct flights from Toronto to St. Vincent, with three flights a week for now and a fourth coming in December.

Victor Spysak, Air Canada’s new (two weeks on the job) Manager, Sales and Tourism Partnerships, said AC isn’t contemplating making that an all-year affair, but Sandals officials teased him about it several times and said they’ll be making a big push for flights to continue in summer.

For more information, visit DiscoverSVG.com