The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Jet ski operators yesterday expressed fears that other resorts will follow Baha Mar and restrict their business opportunities by giving one local firm an exclusive on watersports activities.

“We don’t want to see that happen because that could really hurt our business,” said Renwick Rolle, owner of JR Action Water Sports and an operator for more than 30 years. “We got together and we had a protest against persons operating watercraft from Baha Mar.

“They are using something similar to a go-cart but it runs on water, a sea cart, and we believe that would be in competition with us. One person can sit in it and drive it similar to a jet ski.”

Renward Wells, minister of transport and local government, had earlier this week sought to reassure jet ski and other watersports operators that Baha Mar is not infringing on an industry supposed to be exclusively reserved for Bahamian ownership.

He said the mega resort is not licencsed or authorised to directly rent motorised watercraft to its guests. Instead, it had contracted a “100 percent Bahamian [owned] company” to provide its guests with a variety of water-based activities. According to the Bamboo Town MP, the company is operated by two young Bahamians.

Mr Wells’ comments, though, appear not to have had the desired effect. Mr Rolle yesterday described Baha Mar’s arrangement with the Bahamian company as “trying to sneak into the jet ski business through the back door”.

“When Baha Mar first came on stream they met with us and said they wanted to work along with us and cater to their guests,” he added. “After the ownership changed they never came back to us to discuss it.

“They accepted someone who started out with some surf jets, which is no competition to us, but we believe they are now trying to sneak into the jet ski business through the back door. Jet ski operators are afraid that if Baha Mar is allowed to do this then Atlantis will follow suit.

“There are guys who have been applying for licenses since the Nassau Beach Hotel closed down so people are going to be a bit upset when they see something like this. What I have done is I have made an application for the same sea cart and I’m going to see where that goes.”

Mr Wells reiterated his position in the House of Assembly, arguing that Baha Mar is not veering into an industry historically reserved for Bahamians as has been claimed.

He added that the government is not “duty bound” to grant such licences to any resort or associated foreign direct investor unless it is specified in that property’s Heads of Agreement (HOA). He suggested there were no such allowances in Baha Mar’s agreement.

“There is, let me say it again, Baha Mar has no jet ski licence or any licence to engage in the water sport business in this country, period,” Mr Wells told the House.

“There are a number of Bahamian companies who are involved in the water sports business on Cable Beach. One of those companies happens to be a Bahamian company called Jet Surf. You can go online and see the products that are offered by this international brand, Jet Surf, of which a local Bahamian has engaged with that business abroad and has offered those pieces of equipment for watersports to our touristic visitors.

“This ministry has issued licences for Jet Surf, to this franchise, which is a piece of equipment that is used. There is another piece of equipment that is a seaboard, there is another piece of equipment that is an aqua cart and those are the water sports apparatus that has been licenced.”