The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Nassau Cruise Port's top executive yesterday said it is "highly, highly unlikely" that cruise passengers or any tourists will be impacted by early 2024's surge in murders and the fear of crime.

Mike Maura, the Prince George Wharf operator's chief executive, told Tribune Business he was "not concerned" about the homicide spike's potential fall-out for either cruise or stopover tourism despite the US State Department on Friday urging its citizens - who make up 90 percent of The Bahamas' visitor market - to "exercise increased caution" due to the crime situation.

Pointing out this is not the first time The Bahamas has had to combat an increase in crime, and that "unfortunately it won't be the last", he said the situation is "not unique" to this nation as similar incidents occur at the same or greater frequency in cities such as Miami, New York and Atlanta.

He spoke out as Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) president, yesterday revealed that industry stakeholders will today attend a meeting called by the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation to address the crime situation and the latest US travel advisory.

Confirming that the meeting will involve "security and the US alert", Mr Sands declined to comment prior to today's meeting, although he added: "The Ministry of Tourism is driving it." Mr Maura, meanwhile, said the Government had shown it understands the need to "get its arms around" the crime problem to ensure that all Bahamians, residents and visitors can live in a safe environment.

"I'm not concerned from a cruise tourism perspective," the Nassau Cruise Port chief told this newspaper. "Obviously crime, as Bahamians and residents of New Providence, and citizens of The Bahamas, we are very concerned with any increase in crime because ultimately it happens in our neighbourhoods and backyards. We're the ones most affected by crime.

"In the case of cruise passengers, it's highly, highly unlikely that those passengers are going to experience some of the negative consequences as a result of this temporary uptick we have experienced. If any type of event takes place that included cruise passengers it usually happens some place outside the normal areas visited by tourists."

This, Mr Maura said, occurs when visitors "wander into an area they shouldn't be in or are looking for something that's not necessarily legal". He added: "I don't have any concern with respect to the impact on cruise tourism and don't have any concern with the impact on hotel tourism either.

"The Government recognises it needs to get its arms around the issue. It isn't the first uptick in crime that we've dealt with and, unfortunately, won't be the last time. It happens in Miami, it happens in New York and happens in Atlanta. The Bahamas isn't unique to this type of situation, unfortunately. We are going to have to work to mitigate the criminal activity, and provide a safe environment for Bahamians and residents alike."

The language in the latest US crime advisory is little different from the previous version. "The majority of crime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands," it said. "In Nassau, practice increased vigilance in the 'Over the Hill' area (south of Shirley Street) where gang-on-gang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate primarily affecting the local population.

"Violent crimes, such as burglaries, armed robberies and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas. Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do not have a presence."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response, said: "While we acknowledge that states have a right to inform their citizens travelling abroad about potential risks, we do not believe that there is any elevated or increased security risk to tourists traveling to The Bahamas.

"We encourage all of our visitors to come to The Bahamas. We believe that anyone visiting The Bahamas for tourism or business should take the normal prudent precautions that any visitor to a large city in the developed world will take."

Business owners have told this newspaper that all Bahamians and residents are literally paying the price for crime. The extra costs associated with hiring security firms/officers, installing surveillance systems, window/door bars and other protection and preventative measures are ultimately passed on to consumers through higher prices for the goods and services they purchase.

This, private sector operators said, adds further to the cost of living crisis facing middle class and lower income Bahamians with one company yesterday telling Tribune Business that security-related costs were “next to salaries our biggest expense” in 2023.

Crime and related violence has blighted Bahamian society for decades with the issue regaining prominence following the bloody start to 2024. The murder rate for the year’s first two weeks represented a 150 percent year-over-year increase, and a decade high, amid a spate of what are believed to be retaliatory killings, gang-related violence, personal feuds and the settling of scores, and an inability to resolve conflict.