The 2025 Belize Investment Summit kicked off yesterday - but the official addresses, presentations, and panels didn't start until today. One of the opening ceremony's leading speakers, Adam Stewart spoke about Redefining the Luxury Experience. Stewart is the executive chairman of Sandals Resort International, which has 20 locations across the Caribbean. He zeroed in on what Belize has going for it - the natural environment. But he explained that just having lush forests and pristine waters isn't enough. Here's a snippet of his speech.
Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman, Sandals Resort International
"This territory, this archipelago, this region of the world is labeled as developing, as third world. And one of the most important things that sits at the center of the success of Sandals, and I'll tell you all about Sandals in a minute, is mindset."
"And it is the mindset to believe that we can achieve anything in our own backyards and front yards, right here in Belize or in Jamaica or in St. Lucia or anywhere in this archipelago, that we shouldn't be labeled and put in a box where we somehow believe that it's better somewhere else in the world."
"Tourism is the most awesome amplifier to any economy. It is one of the fastest transfers of wealth and foreign exchange drivers, where a visitor can come, can have the time of their life, and willingly hands over foreign currency that stays in our banking sector to show us up so we can trade and do more business."
"Parts of the world would die, literally die, to have the natural beauty that the Almighty gave you here in this archipelago known as Belize. There are countries that spend, companies, not countries, that spend billions of dollars trying to recreate Mother Nature."
"As we look at tourism and what tourism really is all about, some people want the big city lights, some people want Saks Fifth Avenue and high-end shopping. There are different segments and different customers in tourism that are looking for different things."
"When I look at the flying time from here to Miami, you are a hop, skip, and a jump away from the largest economy in the world. You have to roll with the punches of who you are naturally and who You are naturally, in my mind, I see Belize everywhere."
"I've seen it at that distance always. You are mother nature overload. I also see people in each country that say, my country is the greatest country in the world and people need to come to it. And in many instances, that is almost true."
"But we can never forget when we say that, that customers have optionality. Planes fly everywhere in the world every day. And it means you have to earn it because the world owes us absolutely nothing."
"The world stands still for nothing. We all have 24 hours in a day and those who win are those who put on the pedestal their destination."
The summit concludes tomorrow.
