In the UK, half of the Caribbean all-inclusive specialist’s sales are attributable to the trade, but Karl Thompson, managing director of Sandals sales and marketing representatives Unique Vacations, is eager to bring in “new blood” to experience the brand.
"We’ve got more capacity going into the Caribbean than ever before," he says. "We’ve got our marketing efforts with our agency partners to get new customers into the resort.
"From the UK, we’ve got staunch support from the over 50s [demographic] and they’re our core, but we need to start bringing in younger travellers that love travel.”
While customers, industry partnerships and agents remain priority relationships for Sandals, our talk frequently comes back to the many and varied communities of the Caribbean, a subject close to Stewart’s heart.
Making connections
Central to this is The Sandals Foundation, the resort operator’s philanthropic arm, which turned 15 in March. The foundation has so far committed more than $100 million in support of projects across the islands, reaching 1.5 million people with initiatives focusing on the environment, communities and education.
Its executive director, Heidi Clarke, points to all-inclusive having “changed so much over the years and people make such a connection with the people on the islands”.
“Truthfully, we don’t sell the resort," she says. "We sell a destination, the people, the environment. It’s about more than just getting them out on a tour to enjoy the beauty of the island. Customers are becoming more mindful. Tourists are making a difference."
Clarke continues: “An example is our reading road trips. We used to have people wanting to go out and see a school. But for us, it’s about how these visits benefit the local community, where the needs are and how we are filling those gaps.
"We work directly with schools to team up our guests to go out and do structured lessons with the children. We want to showcase local, but at the same time, have tourists giving back.”
‘We have a duty’
Stewart shares her enthusiasm. “The Sandals Foundation was a platform to connect the communities of the Caribbean with our customers, team members and international partners. So many people in the marketplace wanted to assist the Caribbean – they just didn’t know how.
“We’re not marching into anyone’s community saying, ‘you need this’. We’ve created a platform to speak and engage with the community and its leaders, and for advisors to work with these communities.
"We have a duty to make sure if somebody contributes, the resources actually get to the programme. We’re not sprinkling sawdust in random places – it’s got to have impact.”
Recent examples of fundraising from the UK was the successful Sandals Island Run Antigua 2023 during which representatives from Unique Vacations and Sandals, as well as trade and supplier partners and media, ran 100 kilometres over four days to raise more than £102,000 for The Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre in Antigua and the SickKids Caribbean Initiative.
This year’s effort is the four-day Island Challenge across Saint Vincent & The Grenadines, where participants will hike to the summit of the active La Soufriere volcano in Saint Vincent, as well as take part in running and kayaking challenges elsewhere on the island.
The £100,000 fundraising target will be donated to paediatric healthcare services and equipment at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, and other local healthcare facilities, to support children in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where Sandals opened its newest resort in March 2024.
Stewart beams as he talks TTG through the 301-room resort, which he cites as “the latest shining example” of the brand “breaking the quintessential glass ceiling” in the all-inclusive space. “You’re in a bygone era,” he says. “You can’t see the impact of man anywhere.”
While Stewart insists Sandals is not “in a race to build hotels for the sake of building hotels”, the group – which operates the Sandals and Beaches brands – is “anecdotally” looking to open two resorts a year. A new resort village is set to open in Turks and Caicos next summer, with hotels in the pipeline across Jamaica and Barbados.
‘Greatest ally’
Returning to travel agents, Stewart recalls a conversation his father had with a friend that was “a few years ahead of him in the business”.
“He said to him that you have to understand the travel advisor community – they’re your greatest ally.” That conversation was in 1981 and some 43 years later, Stewart is adamant that “our relationships have never been stronger”.
“There was nobody more relevant than the travel advisor during Covid,” he stresses. “It was a stark reminder of how important that community is. We won’t make a decision without them at the centre”.
