Tourism Minister Promises Focus on Cruise Industry

Last year, Minister of Tourism and Aviation Neko Grant said the cruise business had declined in The Bahamas and other parts of the Caribbean by three to five percent, while it increased in Europe by 25 percent.

One of the main complaints made by visitors traveling to the country’s second city was that Freeport offered little to tourists in terms of service and activities.

Minister Grant on Wednesday admitted that there are challenges at the Grand Bahama port and he said the government intends to address the problems in short order.

"We are certainly aware of the challenges we face in Grand Bahama as it relates to the facilities. It’s being explored, the possibility of improving it. We also seek to improve the [tourism] product," Minister Grant said during a tour of the Norwegian Gem, one of the newest ships of the Norwegian Cruise Lines.

"The ship went into Grand Bahama for the first time last week [and] they had a wonderful welcome. We are now getting the kind cooperation we need and expect from our ground transport providers which was another hindrance. And so we look forward to great things in Grand Bahama in the coming years."

Other major cruise lines are also reintroducing The Bahamas to their itinerary making private islands in the country a part of their routes, according to Ministry of Tourism officials.

According to the latest economic report released by the Central Bank of The Bahamas, visitor arrivals for the third quarter of 2007 increased by 1.7 percent in comparison to the same period last year.

However, visitor arrivals by sea only contributed to 0.2 percent of the number.

Although unable to provide information on the overall numbers for the country’s bread and butter industry for 2007, Minister Grant pointed out that a number of factors significantly hampered tourism figures.

"One [was] the passport challenge, secondly, the softened economy in the US. The passport issue was certainly perhaps the most damaging," he said.

"Years ago whenever somebody woke up in the US and wanted to go somewhere, [for instance] the impulsive traveler, The Bahamas was the place [because] you [only] needed proper identification. When the passport became an issue, it took away from that segment."

Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, American citizens traveling from The Bahamas and other countries in the region by air must present passports upon their return to the United States.

Minister Grant said he expects the addition of The Bahamas to NCL’s itinerary to "significantly increase" visitor arrivals for 2008 by as many as 3,000 visitors every time the ship docks in The Bahamas.