The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

and YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporters

TOURISM industry leaders yesterday hailed the cruise industry’s interest in using Nassau as a home port as a “win-win scenario” for the economy, adding: “The puzzle is coming together.”

Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) president, told Tribune Business: “A collaborative approach to the ‘stop, stay and cruise’ business model will ensure a broad spectrum of businesses will benefit; Bahamian entrepreneurs, tourism businesses; cruise lines and cruise passengers.

“A melding of a stopover and cruise experience could broaden the economic benefit for the destination significantly. Of course, we would ensure our airlift capacity increases commensurately with the growth in hotel and cruise passengers, as the stop, stay and cruise concept could indeed increase arrivals exponentially if the potential is achieved.”

He added: “Given the myriad of offerings, a plethora of hotels each with unique offerings of their own, a number of culturally and historically-relevant attractions, a vast number of Family Island excursions, we are well-poised to provide visitors with an itinerary which showcases the best of The Bahamas - a mix of land and sea-based experiential offerings.

“The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association looks forward to working with the Ministry of Tourism; Nassau Cruise Port, the cruise lines and other tourism industry participants to ensure the destination’s tourism industry as a whole is able to add the stop, stay and cruise concept to its formula for the sustained successful recovery of its tourism economy.”

Charles Klonaris, the Downtown Nassau Partnership’s (DNP) co-chair, echoed Mr Sands as Crystal Cruises yesterday became the first cruise line to select The Bahamas as a home port for a series of seven-day island cruises this summer.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Mr Klonaris said, after Tribune Business yesterday reported that four cruise lines were in advanced talks to use Nassau as a home port. “It’s going to help the taxis, the tour operators, the hotels. The tourists that take these cruises have to come in a day before the ship leaves, and if they want to spend more time in Nassau they can take a couple of days before or after.

“It’s a big plus. I think it’s a win-win. The longer they stay, not only will they spend more but they will get a nice feel for Nassau. It’s [home porting] a wonderful concept and hopefully it happens. I don’t really see a downside. I’m sure the hotels are going to make an accommodation with the cruise ships in putting together a package.

“Anything is a plus right now. We need all the good news we can muster. If we have a cruise ship stay overnight, guests will wander downtown and we’ll see activity at the port as well rather than just for a couple of hours a day. It’s all good news, it’s all good news. It’s like the puzzle is coming together.”

Wesley Ferguson, the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union’s (BTCU) president, said the proposed cruise line home porting was “excellent” for his members. He added: “I wish to see more of the cruise lines make Nassau their point of origin. They just have to dot all of the ‘i’s and cross all of their ‘t’s’ and see what other details are in the tea leaves.”

Nicholas Pinder, general manager of Born Free Fishing Charters, said that while he does not depend on cruise ship passengers he hopes this will be a major boost for all vendors who operate downtown. “We don’t get to target those visitors because the cruise ships have them bound up in excursions of their own,” he added.