The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

RUM Cay's development is being hindered by the absence of scheduled airline service, a resort operator telling Tribune Business that $2,000 charter flights and a $30,000 price tag per shipping call deterred both visitors and investors.

Bobby Little, the Sumner Point resort and marina's owner and operator, who is partnering with Guy Harvey Outpost in a multi-million dollar renovation of the property, told Tribune Business: "Rum Cay is a hard place to reach.

"We have no airlines here. We have mailboat service three times a month, so anything you do is difficult. It's expensive and difficult. When we need a ship we have to pay $30,000 to get a ship to come here, so you have to have a real reason to get a ship to come here."

Mr Little added: "When we lost Cat Island Air a couple of years ago it was difficult. It's very hard to get people here. You can get to any of the other islands from Nassau for about $85 one way, but now when it comes to getting to Rum Cay from Nassau you're looking at a $2,000 charter.

"We have had to make groups with our adventure tours. What we do is put together groups of 12 and 15 people, and we charter. Southern Air has been really reliable for us, and we have chartered Pineapple Air."

Cat Island Air owner, Albert Rolle, told Tribune Business yesterday that his airline was two to three weeks away from being back in operation after being evicted from the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) more than a year ago.

Mr Little said: "I think what's going to be neat about Rum Cay is we are not going to have an off-season. We will always have a season here, whether it is sky divers, scuba divers, surfers, power boarders and fishing boats. Rum Cay is the hourglass of the Bahamas, and what I mean is every boat, whether it is a cruise ship, tanker or yacht, they all go by Rum Cay. Rum Cay has a lot of development potential. There's a lot to offer here."

Mr Little's Sumner Point Marina is situated on the southeast tip of Rum Cay, and the marina and adjoining club facilities have been owned and operated by his family since 1960. Guy Harvey Outpost and Resorts, and the owners of Bimini Big Game, announced last week they had mutually agreed to end their licensing agreement. Guy Harvey's president, Mark Ellert, said the brand had turned its interests to other locations, namely Rum Cay.

Mr Ellert told Tribune Business: "One of the aspects of Rum Cay that was very much of interest to us was its relationship geographically with Conception Island, and our interest in trying to develop a strong research focus on the sharks and coral down in the southern Bahamas and, ultimately, work with government and the Parks Department to see how we can develop some research programmes that complement the parks' commitment to Conception. That continues to be a hallmark of what Guy Harvey wants to accomplish in the Bahamas."

Mr Ellert added: "The nature of our arrangement is that there is a management licensing arrangement, which is not dissimilar from what we had in Bimini. What we are attempting to do there is establish some renovation criteria that would help reposition and elevate the visibility of Sumner Point as a great tourist destination, and one that would be appealing to the Guy Harvey base of customers."