The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Opposition politicians yesterday queried whether the timing of Baha Mar’s April 21 opening is “a quid pro quo” for the Government’s role in helping China to oust the original developer, Sarkis Izmirlian.

K P Turnquest, the FNM’s deputy leader, told Tribune Business that both the timing and “soft launch” nature of the planned opening, coupled with the absence of any marketing activities, raised immediate questions as to its true purpose.

“We remain optimistic but sceptical,” Mr Turnquest told Tribune Business, “because we’re talking about an April opening yet have not seen any marketing that will drive additional airlift for this project.”

Prime Minister Perry Christie previously said 400,000 additional airline seats per annum will be required to fill the 2,200 room inventory increase created by Baha Mar.

But, with Baha Mar’s new owner, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE), yet to hire both internal and external PR/marketing agencies, or seal management agreements with its hotel brands, promotional activities prior to the April 21 opening will be minimal (see other article on Page 1B).

Baha Mar yesterday said “the very soft” nature of its opening means that a major marketing campaign is unnecessary, with its sights instead set on a promotional ‘ramp up’ to drive tourist demand for the winter 2017-2018 season, beginning with the Thanksgiving holiday in late November.

This, though, has led Mr Turnquest and other Opposition politicians to speculate that the April 21 opening date is designed to benefit the incumbent government more than CTFE and Baha Mar.

With a general election likely to be called within three weeks of that date, they believe the Christie administration will use the Baha Mar opening as a key element of its campaign, and to justify its strategy of partnering with Beijing to oust Mr Izmirlian.

“The question is: What is this opening going to look like, and who are the clientele?” Mr Turnquest asked. “The question becomes: Are these [1,500 jobs] election jobs or are they real jobs?

“If they are real jobs, you’d expect marketing would be done and some noise to be made in the market. If one looks at it with a sceptical eye, it certainly looks like interesting timing.

“Is this part of the quid pro quo for the Government acting the way it has in favour of the Chinese interests. It’s interesting times.”

Mr Turnquest’s analysis was backed by Branville McCartney, the Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) leader, who argued that the Baha Mar opening was “all gearing up for political purposes”.

He added that “a blind man could see” through the April 21 timing, even though he welcomed the 1,500 jobs being provided for Bahamians.

Mr Turnquest, meanwhile, said that while the 1,500 job inquiries received by Baha Mar on the first day of its recruitment drive indicated “strong” demand, he had expected “even more”.

He attributed the ‘underperformance’ compared to his expectations to Baha Mar’s previous failure, and the resulting terminations of more than 2,000 Bahamians, which had left many reluctant to apply for fear history will repeat itself.

“I would have expected it to be even more to be honest with you,” the FNM deputy leader said of the number of job applicants. “That speaks to the fact people are a bit sceptical about Baha Mar and its prospects for the future.”

Many Baha Mar employees are likely to adopt a ‘once bitten, twice shy’ attitude to CTFE’s recruitment drive, while uncertainty stemming from the project’s recent history may deter those with existing employment from leaving their jobs.

However, with the official unemployment rate still in double digits at 11.6 per cent, and one in four (25 per cent) of all 18-25 year-olds unable to find work, Baha Mar still has a large talent pool from which to draw for its labour needs.

Acknowledging that the Opposition was “happy” new jobs are being created at Baha Mar, Mr Turnquest said the 1,500 first day inquiries “speak to the level of unemployment and underemployment in the Bahamas”, and “the fact the economy is not growing as fast as it needs to, despite what the Government may say”.

He added that it was “critically important” for the Bahamian economy and society that CTFE succeed with Baha Mar, and that the project becomes a sustainable source of employment for thousands of workers and companies.

“It remains the biggest prospect of hope for revitalising the economy under this government,” Mr Turnquest conceded to Tribune Business. “It does have the potential to contribute a significant percentage of GDP if it grows properly and is able to meet its targets.

“It’s a significant piece of the puzzle in terms of getting people back to work and getting the economy going.”

Mr McCartney added that the “large turnout” for Baha Mar’s recruitment drive was not surprising, given the high unemployment levels in the Bahamas.

“There are resumes put on my desk every day, looking for jobs at my law firm, pharmacy, and applications sent to the school,” he told Tribune Business.

“People are out of work, and you have 25 per cent of the persons between 18 and 25 years-old without work. They don’t have anything to do.”