PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands; Thursday, July 30th 2009– Turks and Caicos Islands Premier, Hon. Galmo Williams, in a special press statement on Providenciales, welcomed news that the highly anticipated Veranda Resort & Residences on Grace Bay Beach would be complete prior to end of 2009 and would open for business early 2010.
“The opening of Veranda Resort & Residences shows the resilience of our tourism industry in today’s volatile marketplace. It is no secret that the worldwide economy is experiencing tremendous challenges at this moment in time,” says Premier Williams. “We are extremely grateful that owners Andre Surreys and Ron Sutherland took the bold and courageous step of moving forward with such a considerable investment into our growing tourism industry. We want the international community to know that the Turks and Caicos Islands are open for business. We offer our full support to the Veranda project and look forward to its contribution to our growing cadre of superlative resorts.”
The Veranda Resort and Residences is owned by Faez Ltd., a Turks and Caicos company founded by UK entrepreneur, Andre Surreys who with US based real estate veteran Ron Sutherland of the Hemisphere Group appointed Grace Bay Resorts, the company behind the celebrated Grace Bay Club in Turks and Caicos, to manage this new $80.0 million luxury resort property.
Scheduled to open early 2010, Veranda enjoys a spectacular 10-acre property on the world famous Grace Bay Beach and offers among other eight spectacular five star beachfront residences, the only of their kind in this destination.
“The Veranda is a unique property that has enormous potential and we are honored to be selected as the operator for this resort,” says Mark Durliat, CEO of Grace Bay Resorts. “Not only will this sophisticated project draw new development to these islands, it will create needed employment in an otherwise challenging economic environment.”
Co-owner Ron Sutherland added that: “There are so many destinations to choose from in the Caribbean, yet we selected the Turks and Caicos. This is a Caribbean destination where international investment is welcomed by the Government and the destination is highly attractive for development. These islands offer some of the most beautiful vistas in the world and are easily accessed by most travelers both internationally and from the US. We consider ourselves fortunate to have an opportunity to contribute in such a meaningful way during what is a very challenging economic environment.”
END
