The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK


Tribune Freeport 
Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT - Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe expressed serious concerns about the crime problem in the Bahamas, especially tourist-related crime incidents that trigger travel warnings and advisories.

The minister, addressing Bahamahost graduates in Grand Bahama on Tuesday, said he was shocked over the latest US travel advisory that was issued for Grand Bahama.

“There is no way that Grand Bahama could even be on a watch list or advisory list of the United States of America - that was almost unbelievable that we will hear that GB is a place tourists must be careful because of some cutlass robbery incident involving tourists,” he said.

Minister Wilchcombe said that the Bahamas suffers each time a warning is sent out.

“There is a problem we are facing in the Bahamas today and we cannot ignore it,” he said while delivering his keynote address to Bahamahost graduates at the Grand Lucaya Resort.

“I am forced to pause because I often wonder what has happened to us. Why is it that we are in a country that we have allowed peace to become war, and we have allowed love to become hate: we used to be a society where one time ago the movement was towards Majority Rule and Independence, there was no bloodshed.

“It has become almost accepted that we are a people that has lost our love,” he said.

“I believe the problem in our nation today have all to do with the lack of love.”

Mr Wilchcombe told graduates that tourism is the number one industry and they must do their part to “generate in our country again a spirit of love.”

He said that the service they provide to visitors should come from the heart.

The Minister of Tourism reported that last year globally, more than 1 billion tourists travelled the world and spent $1.1 trillion.

He noted that 169 million people travelled to the Americas, including the Caribbean, and almost six million came to the Bahamas.

“Notwithstanding the difficulties in the world, 9/11, and the hurricanes, tourism rebounded.

“And notwithstanding the global recession, tourism will again become the leading industry,” he said.

Mr Wilchcombe said the Ministry of Tourism is working hard to bring tourists to the Bahamas.

He revealed that they are working on bringing direct flights from Brazil and Canada and he told graduates that the government has big plans for Grand Bahama

“We are going to cause GB to become the technical centre for the Bahamas.

“It is going to become a hub and we will cause social networking to take place here, and next year we will have individuals working on social media in GB.

“It has been too many years here with nothing happening; too many years when people caught hell, too many years when people had to leave this island in search of opportunities elsewhere. GB your time has come, and the economy of GB will grow by leaps and bounds in 2014.”

Mr Wilchcombe told graduates that GB is headed for one of its greatest performances in years.