Three foreign firms interested in Grand Barbe development |10 February 2023

Mr Savy

By Laura Pillay

The Islands Development Company (IDC) has received three expressions of interest from foreign companies for the development of an eco-tourism establishment at Grand Barbe, Silhouette, and is presently evaluating which concept is better suited to the area.

The company launched the request for proposal in September 2022, calling on investors to put forth expressions of interest and to submit a concept plan of the proposed development. The deadline for all submissions was December 9, 2022.

As per the call, investors were required to demonstrate through concept design the proposed site layout and associated amenities of the project.

It was stated that the eco-resort would boast a maximum of 25 rooms, and should focus on sustainability, conservation and green energy, with a solar facility to produce energy and a proper sewage and waste system.

The Grand Barbe development project is one which dates back many years. The first proposed project to build a road from La Passe to Grand Barbe over ten years ago was not approved by government.

A committee has been established and has met to evaluate the three propositions which have been submitted, and is to announce who will be given the chance to present their detailed plans, remarked chief executive of IDC, Glenny Savy, on Wednesday.

“Being a small development, we were expecting that there would maybe some local investors, but unfortunately we did not receive any interest from local investors,” Mr Savy stated.

He revealed that among the three foreign companies, the first is mainly involved with small safari-type lodges in Kenya, Tanzania and mainland Africa. As for Discovery Collection, an Asian group, their developments are much larger than what IDC would like to see on Silhouette, although their proposal is still to be evaluated.

Finally, Emirati-owned One&Only is a fairly well known brand in the Indian Ocean, and while it does not own many hotels, its focus is on luxury developments. The brand’s former proprietor was Sol Kerzner.

Once the companies have presented their detailed plans based on their concept, the committee will assess if the development will work for Grand Barbe, before it can then go to the relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry (MIEI) and the cabinet of ministers.

The proposed project will also have to be approved by the cabinet of ministers.