The Tribune

• Calls on PI mega resort to partner on downtown revival

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Deputy Prime Minister yesterday invited Atlantis to “put their money where their mouths are" and team with the Tourism Development Corporation to help drive downtown Nassau's revival.

Chester Cooper, also minister for tourism, investments and aviation, said the Paradise Island mega resort and Baha Mar would be better served partnering with the Government to improve the overall tourism product as he acknowledged their previous contributions in this area.

“I know that they will answer the call," he told reporters. So I am excited about any development that creates entrepreneurship for Bahamians, that create job opportunities, that causes Bahamians to create wealth that strengthens the overall product of tourism, and to help to drive the revitalisation of Bay Street.”

He added that the Government is “about progress, and we believe a rising tide will float all boats and there is opportunity for improvement in the monuments". Those monuments will likely include Fort Charlotte and Fort Fincastle, plus the Water Tower and Queen's Staircase, the Pompey Museum and other tourist attractions in downtown Nassau.

Mr Cooper's comments come at a point when relations between the Government and Atlantis are somewhat strained due to the latter's much-publicised concerns over Royal Caribbean's $110m Paradise Island project, which the Davis administration has given preliminary approval to subject to all environmental concerns being satisfied.

Subsequent to that, the Department of Labour launched a 'survey' of Atlantis employees in response to alleged complaints that staff felt pressured and intimidated to oppose the cruise line's project. This, though, has raised concerns that the Department and, by extension, the Government, is engaged in a so-called 'fishing expedition' in retaliation for the mega resort's stance on Royal Caribbean.

Vaughn Roberts, Atlantis' senior vice-president of government affairs and special projects, yesterday said the mega resort was "very disheartened" and surprised by the Department of Labour's approach and had not been provided with details on the allegations made against it.

“We’re concerned not so much from what the survey will say. If anything, we’re just concerned with the approach,” he told reporters yesterday. “We view ourselves as an important corporate citizen in The Bahamas. We’re the largest private entity here and we’ve had a very good relationship with the Department of Labour, certainly The Bahamas government for many years of our development and operation, and this was just a bit of a surprise for us.

“We agreed to co-operate but, you know, the practice for the last 25 years, the co-operation has been different from what was demonstrated here last week, and so we were very disheartened by it but we stand firm in our view that our employees would make the right decisions on their own."

Meanwhile, Mr Cooper also addressed concerns that Royal Caribbean's project will displace and otherwise negatively impact vendors at Cabbage Beach if approved. He said: “Let me just say that there's been a lot of noise about the Royal Caribbean development on Paradise Island.

"This is driven primarily by Atlantis, who cite that they have environmental concerns, and I've always said if they have environmental concerns there, there is a process that is available to have those environmental concerns [addressed]. If those concerns go beyond environmental, then there's a process for expressing those as well.

"We have made a point to ensure that the revised Royal Caribbean deal on Paradise Island is net positive for Bahamians. We insist, for example, that 49 percent of the Beach Club has to be owned by Bahamians. We insist that all of the vendors and the retail operations and businesses at the Beach Club must be operated by Bahamians. So we are extremely, extremely confident that this is going to be a positive for Bahamian investors and Bahamian entrepreneurs.”