ROCKY POINT, Tobago — A TT$500 million Marriott resort is planned for Rocky Point, Tobago, with developers expecting the project to take 30 months to complete.

A sod-turning ceremony was held to mark the start of the development, which is being undertaken by Superior Hotels Limited and will feature 200 rooms, villas, townhouses and bungalows.

The project is expected to give Tobago a major branded hotel as the island looks to expand its tourism offering. It also comes as the new East Terminal at the A.N.R. Robinson International Airport prepares to open.

Superior Hotels chairman John Aboud said the Marriott would be a flagship property for the group, which also has hotels in Trinidad, Barbados and Guyana.

But the project has not come without concerns, particularly over its potential environmental impact and whether the public will retain access to the beach.

Aboud sought to reassure residents that the company would meet its regulatory obligations.

“I want to assure everyone that we remain fully committed to complying with all the requirements under the EMA as well as every other applicable approval,” he said.

He said the resort would also draw on attractions in the surrounding area, including surfing, turtle watching and the remnants of Fort Monk.

Aboud said the company intended to work with the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) to involve local businesses and organisations in agriculture, fisheries, culture, entertainment, training and education. He said the aim was to build local capacity and ensure Tobagonians could contribute to the development and benefit from its presence.

He also expressed hope that the project would encourage other investors to consider Tobago.

Chief Secretary Farley Augustine described the development as a long time coming, recalling that his administration met with the developers after taking office to discuss concerns raised by stakeholders.

On the question of beach access, he gave an assurance that the public would not be shut out.

“With this development, there will remain a public access pathway to the beach. So the beach will not be closed off from the public,” Augustine said.

“Because herein Tobago, we believe there must remain a symbiotic relationship between the residents, those who live here, and the visitors we invite to our island.”

Augustine also used the occasion to make the case for greater private-sector investment in Tobago’s tourism industry, arguing that the THA should be creating the conditions for investment rather than running hotels.

He pointed to Manta Lodge Hotel in Speyside, which the assembly purchased and now operates, as an example of what he believes should not be a core government responsibility.

“I don’t think it is within the core business of the THA to build hotels. The Tobago House Assembly should not be building hotels. So we should have never owned Manta Lodge in the first place,” he said.

“What ought to happen is that the Tobago House Assembly should be facilitating private investment, including foreign direct investment in the island and in our tourism infrastructure.”

Augustine also called for changes to the land licence regime, saying it was hampering tourism investment.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar backed the call for private-sector involvement, saying her government was committed to supporting Aboud as his company continued engagement with IDB Invest.

She said the Marriott project could contribute to Tobago’s economy in both the short and long term.

Persad-Bissessar also confirmed that the government intended to pursue the divestment of state-owned hotels, saying it would soon issue expressions of interest and a request for proposals for the Magdalena Grand Beach & Golf Resort. A divestment process for the Hilton Trinidad is also planned.

The prime minister said the government was looking for private-sector partners and was also considering divestment of National Quarries.