The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Downtown Nassau businesses are "disheartened" that cruise tourism may not return until the 2021 second quarter as the industry's passengers comprise up to 90 percent of their customer base.

Tania Bain, the Perfume Bar's general manager, told Tribune Business: “We are disheartened by that because 90 percent of our business comes from cruise ship passengers, and only 10 percent comes from locals as well as tourists staying on island in hotels.

"It has tremendously affected our business. As a matter of fact, we have two stores on Bay Street and we had to keep one closed as a result of that.” Ms Bain said there was just “insufficient business" to keep the store facing Bay and East Street operating along with their central Bay Street location.

Ms Bain was responding after Dionisio D'Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, disclosed that the cruise lines have informed him they do not expect to return to Nassau and Freeport until early in the 2021 second quarter.

This pushes the resumption of cruise tourism back even further from the previously-anticipated March start date, raising serious questions as to how much longer downtown Nassau merchants and their landlords can hold on with zero to minimal income streams given that the industry will have been absent for more than one year due to COVID-19.

Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean subsequently said they have suspended all sailings through to the end of February 2021 as they work through the health protocols demanded by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Ms Bain, meanwhile, said: “I'm fairly familiar with what's going on in the cruise ship industry, largely so because it affects our business. It is sad, and it is unfortunate, that this is an extreme long-haul for us to undergo for practically an entire year without cruise ship passengers, which is a great bulk of our business."

The Perfume Bar will remain open during the Christmas period despite not having any cruise ship customers to rely on, and has been surviving with a “strong local clientele” that are “very loyal".

Ms Bain, though, said they are still only operating on 10 percent to 15 percent of their normal revenue base. The Perfume Bar has retained all staff members and has them working from the central Bay Street location on day shifts.

Edward Robinson, owner/operator of Bonneville Bones, said of the cruise dilemma: “I don’t feel one way or the other about it because I have no control over it. We’re doing the best we can with local business only. The cruise ship passengers make up less than 5 percent of my business.”

Another downtown retailer, speaking under condition of anonymity, said: “I guess that's what it is. Mr D’Aguilar is only trying to protect us. I guess he’s looking out for the people. This is affecting us, obviously. But I think it's important that we don't have like a third and fourth COVID-19 wave.

“We are taking precautions and I think the country is doing well. I guess having the cruise ships not come in is good, unless they're testing them and unless they figure out a way to protect the Bahamian people, but from a financial part, from a business owner, obviously we’re going to struggle.

"All the stores downtown will struggle. I see a lot of people moving out. Are we going to be able to hold on? I don't know. It's scary. A lot of people are struggling downtown.”

Talking about ways to attract more Bahamians to shop in Bay Street's stores in the interim, they said, “I don’t know if Bahamians are shopping more online now or if they just don’t have the money, but parking shouldn’t be such a huge issue.

"We have a $25 validation for parking and we’re taking that cost upon ourselves. I do see some Bahamians using it, but it hasn’t brought in the crowd that we need to have in order to survive downtown."