By Monique Washington
The HTRIP Candy Resort in Nevis is nearing completion, but Former Premier of Nevis Hon. Joseph Parry does not think the resort will bring any economic relief to the people of Nevis.
Hon. Parry told the Observer on Thursday the multimillion dollar resort is a “glorified dorm.”
The HTRIPCandy Resortvilla development project is being built on 4.4 acres of land at Liburd Hill Village in St James.Its estimated cost is a reported US $20 million. Officials say construction will be completed in December 2016. Candy Resort is just one of many new hotels/resorts the Concerned Citizens Movement will bring to Nevis.
The former premier said this project will not cause economic growth but will take money out of the Nevis.
“Now they say that the Candy is a resort, does it look like a resort to you?” Hon. Parry asked.“Go and take a look at it. I believe it will be a glorified dorm that will take money from the people of Nevis.”
The former premier explained that owners of Candy Resort are not local and instead of money staying in the country they will be sending back to their country. He added that students attending the Medical University of the America’s renting from local landlords and might be encouraged to stay at Candy instead.
“The owners are not local, so where do you think their money will go? Candy will try to pull in the medical students, leaving the people in St.James without tenants,” he said.
“They say they will create jobs but this is what will happen. Jobs will be transferred, not created. There will be less money in the economy; the money will be going out of the country, there will be no new money.People who borrowed money from the bank in St Jamesto build houses to rent to students will find it difficult to pay back the bank if there are no students living there.”
Continuing, Hon. Parry said local persons who have invested in the St James area should be supported.
“We have people like Kevin Huggins who built the dorms close to the Medical school, he is a Nevisian,” the former premier said.“He is from here and he will invest his money back here. But what will happen now, the glorified dorm might now seek to pull his tenants.”
