The Vanguard Resort and Spa at Lowlands, Tobago will have its first intake of guests on November 1, 2011. This was confirmed by Trade and Industry Minister Stephen Cadiz and Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Orville London on Tuesday following a 30-minute meeting at the Calder Hall Administrative Complex. Cadiz said Cabinet had approved a budget of US$25 million for repairs to the Vanguard as well as for marketing, training and recurrent expenditure. He also disclosed that the e-Teck board had already short-listed operators for the hotel and would be shortly making a final decision on that. He said the Vanguard would be given a new name.
He said while a fair amount of planning was still going on, the physical work would actually start when the "money is in the bank." Richard Saunders president of e-Teck would reside in Tobago as project manager and would in fact be the overall person in charge of the project, Cadiz said. As much of the budget that can be used in the island to provide local services will be spent, he said. Cadiz also said Cabinet had approved a Government guarantee plan for any tourism plant - hotel, villa and apartment development-that people may want to construct.
"There will be a Government guarantee that will operate with criteria to ensure the project is a viable one. We are doing that to be able to kick start additional spending in the tourism sector. This is another push to getting the tourism industry back up and running both in Tobago and in Trinidad," he said. London said he wanted to commend the minister and e-Teck personnel for their commitment to the process and would continue to collaborate with the ministry to ensure that not only the Vanguard would be completed but that it would bring the kind of benefits to tourism that will lead to the revitalisation of the tourism sector in Tobago. The Vanguard was closed two years ago for repairs putting the tourism sector on the island in jeopardy.
