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Hotels to beat eight-year rate recovery target
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Bahamas Hotel Association's (BHA) president believes the industry will return room "rates to pre-recession levels much faster" than the world average, after a renowned travel research firm said this could take
Hotels to beat eight-year rate recovery target
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Bahamas Hotel Association's (BHA) president believes the industry will return room "rates to pre-recession levels much faster" than the world average, after a renowned travel research firm said this could take
Bahamas breaks global standards with jet fuel tax
The Bahamas is breaching international standards by levying 7 per cent import duty on jet fuel, warns a report produced for the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
'Mixed bag': Auto sales 50% off peak
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A leading auto dealer believes the industry will "eventually" recover to levels comparable to its 2007 peak, despite 2011's new car sales being almost 50 per cent down on that banner period in what was described a
Car Show 'bounce' in 83-100% sales growth
BAHAMIAN new car dealers yesterday revealed that the Car Show "bounce" appeared to have returned in 2012, with April's sales up between 83-100 per cent month-over-month compared to March.
FAMILIES EARNING UNDER $5K YEARLY INCREASE BY 83%
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The number of Bahamian households surviving on less than $5,000 per year has increased by an "alarming" 83 per cent in the past four years, Department of Statistics data shows, indicating the recession has most im
Just 12% of mortgages finance 'new buildings'
New Central Bank of the Bahamas date has provided a further insight into the sluggish home construction market, with just 12 per cent of mortgage applications involving 'new builds'.
Insurers: Don’t sleep on EU blacklisting ‘breathing room’
The Bahamas must not fall asleep after it gained “two years’ breathing room” to escape the European Union’s (EU) tax blacklist and preserve up to 40 percent of its hurricane reinsurance capacity, insurers are warning.
SPEED WEEK CHIEF EYES 2,500-3,000 EXTRA ROOM NIGHTS
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Bahamas Speed Week's president has estimated that the revival event generated between 2,500-3,000 room nights for the Bahamian hotel industry, describing its economic impact as "quite substantial". While Bahamas S
800 job applications for new mobile player
Cable Bahamas had received around 800 applications for jobs with the nation's second mobile provider by end-last week, it was revealed yesterday, and is confident the new operator can beat its financial targets.
Atlantis’s 4.5% Xmas rate rise beats hotel norm
Atlantis has seen a “quite substantial” 4.5 per cent year-over-year increase in average daily room rates (ADRs) for the upcoming peak Christmas/New Year season, a growth rate exceeding industry norms.
'Madness': 90% of loan requests are consumer
The Bahamas' consumer loan "madness" is making sustainable economic development impossible, as more than nine out of every 10 credit applications fall into this category.
Bahamas ‘must reengineer economy faster than ever’
* QC: 2018 will ‘set economy for 20 years’ * Warns reform pace may be bewildering * Warns of tax, exchange control ‘recalibrating’
THE Bahamas faces having to “substantially reengineer its economy at a much faster pace than ever before” to escape global ‘blacklists’, a prominent QC warned yesterday. Brian Moree QC, senior partner at McKinney, Bancroft & Hughes, told Tribune Business that this nation’s response to the European Union/OECD initiatives in 2018 “will determine the future of the economy” for possibly the next 20 years.
Trade deficit narrows 9.7%
The Bahamas experienced a 9.7 per cent drop in its trade deficit to $2.554 billion in 2013, largely due to an almost-$300 million fall in its import bill.
FNM deputy fears ‘bubble pop’ over infrastructure spend
The Government’s lack of investment in infrastructure will be “a bubble that pops” on the next administration, the Opposition’s finance spokesman warned yesterday, adding that this was contrary to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) advice.
RoyalFidelity predicts ‘double digit millions’ for new fund
RoyalFidelity believes its latest mutual fund will attract “double digit millions” from Bahamian investors through its promise to pay them a 4 per cent annual dividend.
Freeport losing investment since climate 'up in the air'
Freeport's largest investor has confirmed that nine-figure investments have been delayed because the Government has left the city's expiring tax incentives "up in the air".
BAHAMAS TO BECOME 'CRUISE NO.1' IN 2012
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Bahamas is expected to "exceed" and surpass Cozumel as the Caribbean's leading cruise destination if it maintains its current growth rate, the minister of tourism said, with 2011 stopover visitors to this nati
FINCO in profit boost as bad loans hit $100m
FINCO in profit boost as bad loans hit $100m By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The $5.4 million boost from changes to its loan loss provisioning calculation enabled Finance Corporation of the Bahamas (FINCO) to enjoy a 3.18 per cent net income in
FINCO in profit boost as bad loans hit $100m
FINCO in profit boost as bad loans hit $100m By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The $5.4 million boost from changes to its loan loss provisioning calculation enabled Finance Corporation of the Bahamas (FINCO) to enjoy a 3.18 per cent net income in
