The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

GROUND has been broken on a new adventure tour business at Taino Beach that will offer a zip-line experience to visitors and locals on Grand Bahama.

Seven Bahamian investors - David Wallace, Ivan Cartwright, Wendal Grant II, Philip Galanis, Clarence Wallace, Theresa Grant-Missick and Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace - are partners in Arawak Adventure & Commercial Tours Ltd.

Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe commended the group for putting their resources together in such an investment at the ceremony on Saturday. “What we are witnessing here has more to do than just an investment, we are witnessing transformation,” he said.

“As you look at the composition of the group men and women, they are all from different generations and who have been exposed to education, to the real world, and who have been professionals in their own right; and now they are putting their resources together - that is how we are going to build our country.”

Mr Wilchcombe said the country is undergoing economic transformation and encouraged more young Bahamians to come together and become stakeholders in the Bahamian economy.

“Truth is, we are over-dependent on the foreign investors. I accept that as you are building the nation you are required to have direct foreign investment, and hard currency that would allow us to be competitive in the world community, but we should also accept that now it requires us to put our resources together and build our country,” he said.

Mr Wilchcombe said the new zip-line venture will be a success and set the pace for Grand Bahama and the rest of the Bahamas.

Ian Rolle, president of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, said that there is need to introduce more attractions on the island and the Port Authority is committed and open to new, exciting and innovative ideas from Bahamians.

“This company is 100 per cent owned by Bahamians, and David Wallace had mentioned this zip-line concept to me some years ago. We know Freeport will be one of the fastest growing tourism markets in the Bahamas, and therefore want Bahamians to be major benefactors in this industry,” Mr Rolle said.

He reported that tourism figures have shown significant improvement on Grand Bahama. As of July 2015, he noted that the island has experienced a 35 per cent increase in rooms sold; a 20 per cent increase in occupancy rate compared to last year; and an 18 per cent increase in room revenue.

“Still, some say nothing is happening in Freeport. Despite the success we are seeing, I still think there is more to be done to further grow the tourism industry in Grand Bahama,” Mr Rolle said.