Latrae Rahming on Safety For American Tourists in The Bahamas

What About The Safety of Bahamians in The Bahamas, Mr. Latrae Rahming?

OPM DID NOT SEND CBS NEWS TEAM TO COVER MURDER SCENE

STATEMENT FROM COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR:

“The Office of the Prime Minister did not direct any news crew to cover a crime scene in The Bahamas. We have since contacted the team, who indicated they will not use that as part of their story.

The purpose of their (CBS News crew) trip is to show that The Bahamas is safe for Americans to visit and that incidents occurring in The Bahamas are outside of the tourist areas,” Communication’s Director, Latrae Rahming.

Source

Coalition of Independents (COI) Respond to The Communications Director at The Office of the Prime Minister, Latrae Rahming On Safe Areas for Tourists in The Bahamas

"Director Latrae Rahming, your statement is not only a slap in the face to every Bahamian but also a clear indication of where the government's priorities lie. The audacity to publicize areas safe for tourists while leaving your own citizens to navigate through violence and fear is beyond appalling.

It's a blatant display of negligence towards the very people you've sworn to protect and serve. Our nation should not resemble a resort, where safety is a luxury afforded only to those holding foreign passports.

The reality that our own streets have become battlegrounds for our sons and daughters, while the government seems more preoccupied with the nation's image abroad, is shameful. It's a gross failure to fulfill the most basic duties of governance and law enforcement.

Furthermore, let this serve as a stern reminder that the Bahamian people are exhausted by this blatant disregard for their safety and well-being.

Our children, the future of this nation, are growing up in an environment where their lives are undervalued. The government's apparent indifference to the escalating violence within our own borders, while ensuring tourists can sunbathe in peace, is unacceptable.

We demand more than just words and reassurances; we demand tangible actions and policies that prioritize the safety of every Bahamian. The time has come for the government to stop treating its citizens as second-class and start addressing the root causes of this violence.

The people of The Bahamas deserve to feel safe in their own country, not just survive. Our patience has worn thin, and our tolerance for excuses has reached its end. It's high time our leaders took their responsibilities seriously and made the safety and security of their own people their top priority.

I fully understand that tourism is our number one industry, and we've seen how fragile that is, especially when we were struck by COVID-19, and now it is being further threatened by crime. While the need to protect this industry is clear, it's crucial that we move past this outdated model.

The safety and needs of our people must not be overlooked in the process. The continuous focus on the welfare of tourists at the expense of our own citizens' safety is a dangerous imbalance that cannot be sustained.

It's time to explore and invest in sustainable development models that do not sacrifice the well-being of Bahamians. Our people's lives and safety should always be the priority, and any model that fails to recognize this is fundamentally flawed and unacceptable."

Charlotte Green

National Chairman

Coalition of Independents

Source 

REPORT: San Salvador Island tourism-based island economy is constantly under threat of climate change impacts such as submergence of coral reefs, flooding of coastal lowlands, loss of marine and terrestrial biodiversity, and destruction of cultural heritage sites

The Economics of Climate Change Adaptation and Ecosystem Services in The Bahamas

 

Lessons from San Salvador Island

From IDB

San Salvador island in The Bahamas is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts due to its limited land space, fragile ecosystems, population and assets exposure, limited human and technological capacity, and susceptibility to the vagaries of international trade and exogenous economic shocks.  

Higher temperatures, sea-level rise, and coastal flooding linked to extreme weather events are expected to impact crucial ecosystems such as coral reefs, and assets from the tourism sector, especially from the cultural, historical, and environmental heritage. 

This report provides a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on the economy and ecosystems to provide stakeholders with updated inputs for improved decision-making. 

First, the report presents an Economics of Climate Adaptation (ECA) assessment to identify and analyze the main impacts of climate change, estimate potential economic losses, and propose adaptation measures to improve the island's resilience. 

Second, it presents an Ecosystem-Based Service (EBS) assessment to identify the main ecosystems of the island, evaluate the services they provide, and determine their contribution to the economy of San Salvador.

<<<Download The Full Report>>>

Kerzner International's Bahamas Managing Director George Markantonis warned The Bahamas to expect a big hit on its tourism product if the three massive casinos proposed for Miami-Dade and Broward counties are built next year

A threat to the Bahamas' tourism industry

tribune242 editorial


IN A recent article in The Tribune John Issa of Breezes warned that "the Bahamas, and more particularly Nassau and Freeport, will have to put more effort into developing and promoting our other resort attractions because gambling will be less of a draw than it was in years past". Also, he said, the cost of doing business in the Bahamas would have to come down, if this country hoped to compete internationally.

On Friday, Kerzner International's Bahamas Managing Director George Markantonis also warned the Bahamas to expect a big hit on its tourism product if the three massive casinos proposed for Miami-Dade and Broward counties are built next year.

As Mr Issa wrote: "Since the birth of Las Vegas over 60 years ago, casinos were considered, during the earlier decades, a sufficient attraction to be the main draw for a resort or destination."

When gambling was legalised in the Bahamas - over the loud objection of the Baptists - the fact that these islands were only a 30-minute flight from Miami set the gambling addict's heart aflutter. Regular charter flights from the US were provided weekly by the Lucayan casino to fill its gambling tables. It proved a good business and was certainly a revenue spinner for the Public Treasury.

It eventually spread to Nassau and fairly recent legislation provided that any hotel with a certain number of rooms constructed on any of the Family Islands could include a gaming room as a part of its attractions.

While it lasted, it brought in good business. In those days, committed gamblers - and there were many -- had to travel many thousands of miles to find a casino. There were the casinos of Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, Maçau, Baden Baden, Havana and Nassau. These were the areas that rolled the dice.

Today, there is such a proliferation of casinos that one no longer has to travel any distance. A player can even stay at home and indulge in online betting. That indeed is the rub for the Bahamas. No one has to book a charter any more to get to the gaming tables.

Baha Mar's 1,000-acre, $3.5 billion Cable Beach resort, which aims for a 2014 opening, boasts that with a 100,000sq ft space it will have the largest casino in the Caribbean. It says that it will be twice the size of Atlantis, which when it was opened on Paradise Island by Resorts International boasted that it was the largest casino complex in the Bahamas. In those days, that was indeed a proud boast -- it had put Freeport in the shadows.

And now comes Florida -- just a half hour away -- threatening all of them with the world's largest casinos.

The obvious difference between Atlantis and Baha Mar is that the Cable Beach venture - misreading the market trend -- is banking on attracting the convention and gambling crowd. Atlantis - although it too went for conventions in a big way just before conventions were being curtailed in the US, and nurtured its casino business - decided to create a family-oriented resort. In the end, it might find itself -- with its magnificent display of marine life and water attractions -- in the best position to weather the resort storm when the need for offshore gambling starts to fade.

Tempting Florida, which was hard hit by the collapse of the housing market, and high employment, is an offer by Genting Corporation, a Malaysian company, to build three lavish $2 billion casinos in South Florida.

"And with the promise of tens of thousands of sorely needed jobs and many millions of dollars in tax revenue, Florida politicians are recalibrating their positions," reported Lizette Alvarez of the New York Times on Friday. The artist's drawings of the three casinos are indeed surreal as they point skyward on what appears to be layer upon layer of large saucers. Obviously, they have not been designed with hurricanes in mind.

Already Genting, according to The New York Times, has paid $236 million cash for The Miami Herald's headquarters on Biscayne Bay. It has also bought neighbouring properties to make up 30 acres for one of the casinos.

In addition, Genting has promised Florida the world and more besides to get its commercial heart beating again. It is an offer -- considering the economic times - that will be hard to refuse.

In January, a casino bill will be debated in the Tallahassee legislature. It will have to change Florida's position on gambling if the Genting project is to get off the ground. And this is where the future of the Bahamas' tourism hangs in the balance.

Although there is a strong lobby supporting the Genting proposal, Disney, Florida's most powerful corporation, is totally against. Disney claims that casinos - certainly casinos on such a large scale - will destroy Florida's theme park image. Disney is backed by the Chamber of Commerce.

"Expanding casino gambling in Florida would never make sense in a good economy," said Mark A Wilson, the president and chief executive of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. "And the only reason they are even targeting Florida is that they are hoping that desperate people will reach for desperate measures. There is never a good time to push a bad idea."

Not only does Florida's future hang in the balance, but come January so does the Bahamas'. As Mr Issa and Mr Markantonis have said, it is now up to the Bahamas to improve its product. Mr Markantonis pointed out that the advantage that Florida has over the Bahamas is that it has "drive traffic and we have airlift".

Airlift is another sad story for another day.

October 31, 2011

tribune242 editorial

Caribbean Blog International

Butch Kerzner, Kerzner International CEO on Possible “destructive” Competition between Paradise Island and Cable Beach

Butch Kerzner: ...any development on Cable Beach that went after the same market, as Atlantis would force Kerzner to "reassess" things

Kerzner Clears Air On Cable Beach Competition

 

Candia Dames

Nassau, The Bahamas

16/06/2004

 

 

 

Kerzner International CEO Butch Kerzner released a statement Tuesday defending his recent statements regarding possible “destructive” competition between Paradise Island and Cable Beach, which have fuelled much feed back.

And he made it clear that his project is going ahead no matter what, although he had said recently that any development on Cable Beach that went after the same market, as Atlantis would force Kerzner to “reassess things.

While accusing the media and others of trying to place Kerzner in conflict with the government’s position on Cable Beach, Mr. Kerzner reiterated that redevelopment must be done in what he has called a sensible manner.

"The point that I have been trying to make is that successful destinations such as Orlando, Las Vegas and the Dominican Republic have developed resorts to appeal to a wide range of audiences across lots of different price points,” said Mr. Kerzner, who wants the government to encourage Cable Beach to pursue the mid-market while Kerzner pursues the “very small” high-end market.

Mr. Kerzner said while a guest on the Love 97 programme “Jones and Company” which aired Sunday that the high-end market makes up less than three percent of U.S. households.

Referring to the destinations that cater to a wide audience, Mr. Kerzner said in his Tuesday release, “That is what has made them successful.  If done correctly, redevelopment will expand the size of the pie rather than us all fighting for the same slice of the pie.  It is the difference between constructive as opposed to destructive competition.  Where overbuilding has taken place in one market segment the result has been failure. 

“Just because this might sound self-serving does not make it untrue."

Mr Kerzner continued that, "The Bahamas' average room rate is already more than twice that of Las Vegas and Orlando - and we must be careful that we do not price the destination out of the market.  In any event, whatever happens on Cable Beach will happen.  We will not get distracted from our core mission of making Atlantis something that all of us working and living in The Bahamas can be proud of.  As far as we are concerned it is still full-steam ahead with the planning for Phase III.  This is a great country with great people and I am optimistic about our future."

He said Kerzner is not opposed to any major redevelopment on Cable Beach.

Talk of direct competition between Kerzner’s Atlantis resort and Cable Beach follow indications made by the prime minister that he intends to announce a $1 billion investment project for the popular New Providence strip.

Last month, Kerzner announced that it intends to carry out a $1 billion expansion of Atlantis.

Mr. Kerzner said Tuesday; “Major investment on Cable Beach is a good thing for The Bahamas, for tourism, and even for our company here on Paradise Island.  We are not afraid of competition.  Every single day of every week, of every year, we compete with the best in the world - from Orlando to Las Vegas to Hawaii.  We compete with multi-billion projects and we are successful."

He said, “Many folks have tried to make out that our position on Cable Beach is in conflict with Government's position.  The possibility of a disagreement sounds interesting to many people, particularly in the media - it sounds like news.  But, I need to make it clear, that I do not have enough information to know whether I agree or disagree with government on the proposed plans for Cable Beach.  But even if we did disagree, that would not be a major problem.

“I consider our partnership with government to be outstanding and, as in all relationships, points of difference sometimes arise.  We voice our opinions and then we go on with our business."

Mr. Kerzner’s recent remarks urging that Cable Beach be encouraged to target the mid-market has stunned many people, including some parliamentarians.  One senior government member of the House also said outside the chamber of the House of Assembly Monday that he was shocked that Kerzner would make such a request.

The official also confirmed that Kerzner officials did send a letter to the Cabinet advising of their concerns.