Skift Global Forum Video: Developing the Next Generation of Hospitality Talent

In this video:

• The importance of local talent: All-inclusive is the fastest growing segment in the industry, and since Sandals is the Caribbean’s largest private employer with nearly 18,000 workers, developing local talent is a top priority.
• Managing supply chains by keeping it local: Learn some of the tips Sandals uses to manage its supply chain, including working directly with farmers, fisherman, manufacturers, and tour operators to meet increasing demand for Caribbean tourism.
• How Sandals fills its employee pipeline: Sandals’ hospitality training program, Sandals Corporate University, brings together talent from renowned hospitality institutions, including the University of the West Indies and the University of Florida International’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, at a physical campus in Montego Bay, Jamaica and online. Here, they train the next generation of star hospitality professionals.
• Why “linkages” matter: Tourism directly accounts for 12 percent of Jamaica’s GDP, but indirectly, it’s closer to 40 percent. Farmers, taxi drivers, local retailers who sell supplies to the resort, and a host of other businesses all benefit from tourism.

It’s known for sand, sun, and sea, but the Caribbean’s real superpower is its warm spirit and talented people. In almost every Caribbean country, tourism is the largest contributor to GDP by far, and the sector amplifies all other industries.

Founded in 1981 by Jamaican entrepreneur Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Sandals grew from one employee at a 99-room property to what is now a nearly 18,000-person operation and the largest private employer in the Caribbean. As the brand looks forward with the belief that the Caribbean is the most beautiful part of the world, its leaders see a bright future for tourism — but in order to meet this demand, the next generation of hospitality talent needs robust training and support.

In this video from Skift Global Forum 2022, we hear from Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International (SRI), in conversation with Skift president Carolyn Kremins, on the economic importance of tourism in the Caribbean and what Sandals is doing to elevate the hospitality sector.