The Government of Guyana may be upbeat over the prospects of the arrival of the Marriott brand here but one particular Caricom country is accusing Marriott of failing to honour a commitment which it made with the authorities there.
St Kitts and Nevis Agriculture Minister Dr Timothy Harris has been expressing concern that not enough is being done by some of the major players in the hotel industry to support the local agricultural sector.
It appears that St Lucia’s Marriott Hotel has been singled out as one of the businesses in the sector for not purchasing sufficient volumes of its agricultural commodities from local farmers. Dr Harris has reportedly made no secret of his disappointment over what he believes is the lack of support which the country’s farmers are receiving from the Marriott.
At a recent public function Dr Harris reportedly alluded to the EC$1 million insurance coverage that the local Farmers Cooperative had taken out to allow them access to the Marriott Hotel for their products.
“The project fell in abeyance for want of support on the Marriott’s end. Our ‘Marriott’ experience stands in singular and distinct contrast to what other hotel chains in the Caribbean have been doing to promote the linkage between agriculture and tourism. We know how positive and beneficial is the relationship between Super Club Resort chain in Jamaica and the agricultural sector there. We know of similar good examples of support involving Sandals in Jamaica and Sandals in St Lucia. Closer home the Four Seasons Resort as a flag ship hotel, not only in Nevis, but also in St Kitts and Nevis, has developed a strong partnership with the Farmers Cooperative there. We wish Marriott would follow these good examples,” Harris is quoted as saying,
Tourism-oriented territories in the region have come under increasing pressure to reduce their food import bill which in recent years has been totalling in excess of US$3 billion annually though the tourism sector in some countries have reportedly been option for food imports on the grounds that the quality of some locally produced agricultural commodities fail to meet standards demanded by tourists.
The Marriott Hotel was reportedly granted numerous concessions by the St Lucian Government and is said to be part to an agreement binding it to supporting the local agricultural sector.
