A Multi-Million Dollar Hotel Project Being Developed in St. Lucia

St. Lucia has begun the construction of a multi-million dollar hotel project in the east of the island. The Sapphire Cove Hotel is being built at an estimated cost of US$380 million and should be completed by 2007.

The new hotel project is being developed in the village of Laborie and

officials say it is likely to be the most sophisticated hotel project in the

Eastern Caribbean. When completed, it will consist of holiday villages, a hotel and spa and a mix of privately owned house, town houses and condominiums.

The investment is being undertaken by a group of Irish companies, named Premier Resorts, and will provide an additional 3,000 rooms to the island´s tourism sector.

There are also plans for a 4,000-room international convention facility as well as an 18-hole golf course of PGA standard and an Olympic-size swimming pool.