Members of the Sandals Resorts International executive committee, led by Executive Chairman Adam Stewart and CEO Gebhard Rainer, recently toured the Dominican Republic, meeting with government officials, including being received by Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, president of the Dominican Republic.
The exploratory visit was at the invitation of Angie Shakira Martínez Tejera, ambassador of the Dominican Republic in Jamaica, who, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Dominican Republic and in partnership with executive director of ProDominicana, Biviana Riveiro, coordinated and designed the agenda to showcase the different destinations and to discover tourism investment opportunities.
During the two-day visit, the Sandals team visited various areas of the island, including Punta Cana, Miches and Las Terrenas, among others. Although Stewart and other SRI executives had been to the Dominican Republic previously, this marked the first official visit by the Jamaica-based luxury all-inclusive resort company to the destination.
“When leadership at the highest levels makes time to discuss the power of tourism and investment opportunities that expand its reach, we know we’ve found a like-minded partner,” said Stewart in a written statement.
According to Ambassador Martínez, plans for the visit had been underway for some time, and were of great importance to the Dominican Republic. “Like Jamaica, where Sandals hails from, the Dominican Republic is a revered Caribbean tourism destination and the [tourism] industry is critically important to our economy. It is a dream of ours to have the very prestigious Sandals brand present here.”
Sandals Resorts International is in the midst of a multi-year expansion and innovation plan aimed at strengthening tourism’s return to the Caribbean region. Earlier this year, the company reopened Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau, Bahamas, and will soon unveil its first property in Curaçao on June 1. Three new resorts are planned for Jamaica, and, in 2023, Sandals will unveil a new resort under its Beaches Resorts brand in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Announced late last year, the investment of nearly $200 million will result in 3,000 Caribbean-based jobs.
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