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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie. (BIS Photo/Vandyke Hepburn)
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FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Planning is key to the future growth of Grand Bahama, said Prime Minister of The Bahamas and Minister of Finance, the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, during the official opening of Bahamas Business Outlook Grand Bahama on Thursday, March 17.
The one-day event, held at the Grand Lucayan, was held under the theme 'A Bold Agenda: the Next 25 Years.' He said the government and the private sector must collaborate and agree that success will only happen with planning.
He said a culture of planning and being able to proceed on the basis of a plan must be created in the country.
"I made the point recently, during the Mid-Year Budget Statement, and also at the January Bahamas Business Outlook in New Providence, that my government is setting the stage for the solid recovery and expansion of our economy and I cannot underscore more emphatically the point that we have embarked on a course of action and on a broad consultative platform that will lay the ground work for a stronger and more prosperous economy, particularly for Grand Bahama, for many years to come.
"Some would say, 'yeah right, that's Christie talking politics.' But again you will see throughout my speech that Grand Bahama, Freeport you -- are at that stage in the life of this island where defining works are being contemplated, have been proposed, and every degree of consideration will be given to the recommendations made because they reach far into the future and will affect the lives of not just you, but the lives of the children and their children.
"So 61 years and counting, after the signing of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, we are at that stage. I say that because it is especially true for the people of Grand Bahama, that this is time for you to take a stake, express an interest, be involved in what is taking place. The makeup of your island is far more diversified than that of other Bahamian islands, with a legal regime of superior tax concessions under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, the superior infrastructure and topographical framework that are well suited to both tourism and industrial development. We are moving on all fronts now, synching both tourism and industrial development in a manner that assures Grand Bahama’s viability as a destination in hospitality, health & wellness, shipping, cruise, industrial, residential and small business development."
The Prime Minister added that unlike any other island in The Bahamas, Grand Bahama "has the carrying capacity to manage a sustainable footprint for over half a million residents and the infrastructure to support multiple and diversified development paradigms benefiting not only the people of Grand Bahama but the entire country."
Sharing a conversation he had with Dr. Marcus Bethel, chairman of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement Review Committee, the Prime Minister said he mentioned, "This is an opportunity to invigorate, to freshen up, to re-inspire…. This is the time to bring new people in, renew the interest, renew everything here. We have to have some apostles and some disciples who will believe in the future of Grand Bahama. It has to be, it must be.
"In just the past 2-3 years, small and medium sized businesses, new businesses coming on stream and committed capital by large stakeholder businesses have resulted in half a billion dollars being committed to investment in Grand Bahama, but when you look at the dollar value of new investment elsewhere in the country, when you compare what is happening here to what's happening in other parts of the country, Grand Bahama’s situation presents an anomaly given its tremendous infrastructure and development potential."
Hotel occupancies for the island declined during the first two months of 2016, due to a weaker Canadian Dollar, which weakened that market. The Ministry of Tourism, he said, is working with industry partners to reduce further declines during the remainder of the year.
During 2015, said the Prime Minister, Grand Bahama showed how resilient it is as a tourism destination with a 33% Tourism growth rate, more than the rest of the country, and exceeding the nation's average by more than 25%.
This was largely in part by new airlift, driven [by] Sunwing, from both Canada and USA markets, that accounted for more than 50% of the growth. This was coupled with Memories'more than 1100 beds returning to Grand Bahama’s inventory to service the increased demand levels.
In addition to this, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Lines took a bold step to acquire a 50% larger and newer ship then expanded their Cruise & Stopover programme in 2015 to boost their delivery and garner a near 30% share of the incremental stopover visitors generated to Grand Bahama Island.
"I am also advised by the developer and operator that under-deliveries in the service product delivery quality at their Grand Bahama Memories, which fell behind most of its sister properties in the region in its first year of operating in Grand Bahama, is also a contributing factor to the softer than expected demand levels."
The government and the Ministry of Tourism are working with the Sunwing Group to increase traffic from the USA, while upgrading service quality levels to win back the loss market share recently gained. Summer advance bookings are reportedly reflecting a 20% improvement in the booking pace compared to last year, while plans to add US cities in the fourth quarter will minimize dependency on the softened Canadian market next winter.
"I now call on not only Memories but all employees in GBI's tourism sector to come to grips with the need for us to win and retain customers as we move forward throughgaining a reputation for great service, which,along with Grand Bahama's great value proposition, deepen its market penetration with the segments from which Grand Bahama draws.
"I am also advised that Bahamas Paradise Cruise Lines will close out this March with 90% occupancy levels and anticipates a strong summer season ahead with growing optimism on the number of stopover visitors that will be generated. Additionally the cruise line has already hired 104 Grand Bahamians and is actively recruiting others.
"My Government realizes that the ultimate fix for a sustainable tourism sector in Grand Bahama must be that of having fully committed and competent anchor private sector players at both ownership and operating levels."
Prime Minister Christie continued, "My Government remains committed to finishing the job we have begun in turning around Grand Bahama’s tourism and to move to a more sustainable existence in Tourism that will usher in fresher and more appealing product to a much wider array of customers globally.
"My Government is taking deliberate steps to re-shape the economic landscape, to arrest any further decline of Grand Bahama’s economy and to influence very different outcomes for existing businesses and to attract new ones."
© Copyright 2016 by thebahamasweekly.com
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