If indeed the Setai at Indigo Bay provides more than 550 direct and 990 supported jobs as stated (see last Thursday’s newspaper), it will mean a welcome socioeconomic boost. For one thing, with a slowly but surely ageing population, having more active workers can -at least partially- offset a related increase in old age pension AOV and collective medical coverage costs.
The project was one of those already in the pipeline mentioned by Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten when she recently announced a possible halt on new large visitor accommodations, because the country is getting full. Any such decision would be based on a future carrying-capacity study.
This makes it extra important that currently approved plans prove successful both in terms of attracting guests and creating employment especially among youngsters. The latter also helps keep delinquency and crime under control, which is in turn crucial to the destination and its vacation experience.
Most people who might feel no additional developments must be allowed at all from now probably have some sort of income, so it’s easy for them to say. They should keep in mind that many are not so lucky and ignoring their plight ultimately comes at the expense of society as a whole.
Being able to earn an honest living is about much more than survival. It is a pre-prerequisite for building prosperous communities on solid foundations.
