By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Baha Mar is set to generate $200 million in local wages during the $2.6 billion Cable Beach expansion’s first year in operation, with its staffing levels rising by about 125 per cent over current levels.
The July 2012 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the redevelopment project, which has been analysed by Tribune Business, discloses that Baha Mar’s current $40.922 million annual wage bill for the Sheraton and Wyndham/Crystal Palace resorts is set to be dwarfed five times’ over come 2015.
And total visitor numbers are projected to increase by 102 per cent over 2005, when the Nassau Beach Hotel was still operational, rising from 288,000 that year to 582,000 in the first full year of operations - a 294,000 increase.
“The Cable Beach Resorts currently employ approximately 2,211 staff members with a staff payroll of approximately $40.922 million,” the EIA said.
“The redevelopment project is anticipated to result in cumulative visitation of 11.6 million over 20 years, averaging 582,000 a year, an increase of approximately 294,000 visitors per year.
“This will result in local wages of $6.1 billion over 20 years, and over $200 million in year one, with a total employment generation of 7,341 in year one.”
The EIA added that the Baha Mar project was forecast to generate $4.7 billion in tax revenues over a 20-year period, and said: “Within its first full year of operation, the resort will contribute nearly $400 million to GDP, adding 6.5 per cent to the Bahamas’ current gross domestic product.
“Additionally, the resort will directly sustain over 5,000 permanent jobs at full operation, an increase of approximately 125 per cent over current employment levels, and indirectly generate an additional 2,525 jobs within suppliers and other parts of the Bahamas economy. The cumulative GDP impact of construction and operations will be $11.2 billion over 20 years.”
Elsewhere, the EIA revealed that Baha Mar was working with the Department of Physical Planning to create “a new zoning order” for the project area.
This was being done to reflect West Bay Street’s relocation and the height of buildings on the resort campus. The casino hotel, plus the Hyatt, Morgan’s and Rosewood properties, will all “exceed the existing height requirements” of a 73-foot maximum - a limit that the Sheraton and Wyndham also beat.
Expressing hope that Baha Mar’s presence would increase property values in the Cable Beach and western New Providence areas, the EIA added: “The existing hotels and infrastructure in the Cable Beach area do not reflect the Bahamian culture and style, and lack the aesthetic value of the indigenous architecture and culture.
“The proposed Baha Mar resort project is being designed to capture the flavour and feel of the Bahamas. The entire Baha Mar Resort complex is being designed to feature Caribbean-inspired design elements that fuse the area’s colonial, European and African influences with the region’s lush natural landscapes and waterscapes.”
When it came to staff access to Baha Mar, the EIA said this would be provided via shuttle bus or private vehicle drop-off areas.
“At project build-out, it is estimated that 7,900 employees will work at Baha Mar on a typical day,” the report said.
“Of these, 60 per cent are assumed to work the day shift, 30 per cent will work the evening shift and 10 per cent will work the night shift. Employees are expected to use one of the following modes of transportation to reach the resort: drive and park (50 per cent), drop-off in a private vehicle (20 per cent), and jitneys (30 per cent).”
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