Chief of Mission for the local organizing committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Michael Findlay says that the St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ hosting of tournament matches would not be possible without the Sandals Resort.
Mr. Findlay said that the opening of the Sandals resort helped to raise the number of available hotel rooms on the island, making SVG a viable option for the hosting of matches.
He credited the opening of Sandals, as well as the opening of the Argyle International Airport for making this possible.
“We didn’t have the requirements in terms of hotels and airport. We didn’t have enough hotels. In fact, if we didn’t get sandals on stream, we would have been in a lot of trouble. The last time the venue inspection team came to St. Vincent in December, when we went to Sandals, you couldn’t help being concerned. Now, when they came here last month and they went down to Sandals, the place had a soft opening, it’s a different ballgame. So if we didn’t get sandals, we could not have gotten the World Cup. We really based our bid on the fact that we get sandals.” He said.
Mr. Findlay also gave credit to the opening of the Argyle International Airport (AIA) for making the hosting of matches a reality. He said that it would not be possible if the E.T. Joshua airport was still SVG’s main airport, as it would be able to facilitate the level of travel needed for the event.
