NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (November 28, 2019) — Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis and Minister of Tourism in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), says though the four-month closure of the Four Seasons Resort, Nevis, for major upgrades has been a difficult period, he is looking forward to the financial returns from the anticipated high occupancy during its peak season and new hotel rates will bring to the workers there and island’s coffers.
Mr. Brantley, who is also the Minister of Finance, made the comment at his monthly press conference on November 27, 2019, while publicly commending the resort’s ownership, management and staff.
“Their occupancy is very high for the Thanksgiving Season, and they expect that occupancy is going to move from where it is now to 100 percent, during what they call the festive season. That is mid-December to mid-January… The rates in particular are very impressive, let me say that…The rates have gone up dramatically from where they were.
“Now, you would ask, why I am interested in rates? Well the rates are relevant to the government because the higher the rates the more taxes we can collect, and the higher the rate the more service charge the workers can collect and so everybody wins in that type of environment, and so Four Seasons is back, new and improved,” he said.
Mr. Brantley used the opportunity to praise the work done during the construction period by mostly Nevisians at the island’s only five diamond-rated tourism facility.
“It is a fantastic new initiative that they have done there but the pool is nice and very nice. It is spectacular in fact but what for me is even more spectacular, it was built by a Nevisian…
“In fact the majority of work done at Four Seasons in this last phase was done by artisan workers right here in Nevis – the landscaping, the irrigation, the masonry, the stone work was done by us, and I want you to go there and see for yourself because this is what the people of Nevis are capable of producing…So ladies and gentlemen it just tells you that we are moving. We are moving and we are moving in the right direction,” he said.