The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM Minister Obie Wilchcombe said yesterday that the Government was in talks with four potential groups, one a Bahamian company, to take over operations at the Grand Lucayan Resort’s casino from Treasure Bay.

Promising a “seamless transition” once an agreement was finalised, Mr Wilchcombe said: “We are engaged in dialogue with four companies - an Austrian company, a Latin American company, an American company and a Bahamian company - all seeking to have an opportunity to run the casino in Grand Bahama on the terms that we are negotiating, which will mean an increase in staff.

“It will also mean more trending in dealing with Grand Bahama. We are trying to create more entertainment and to help in the rebuilding of the Grand Bahama tourism sector. The negotiations are going quite well, and we have meeting today, meeting tomorrow and another meeting I think by the weekend.”

Mr Wilchcombe added: “Once we would have completed the negotiations with the team, we will set the date for the transition. It will be a seamless transition. There may be some manual repairs needed to outfit it to standard, but that will be after the employees have met the new employer and they would have worked out how best they are going to proceed.

“There is no standard time for a closed period because that’s not what we want. We still have tourists there now, and the numbers aren’t that bad because you still have the hotel open and the cruise ships coming. We want to make sure we continue the business and the amenities of the hotel, but with the new owners you are going to have to put in some specialties. That’s expected, but over no long period of time.”

Mr Wilchcombe had revealed during the Bahamas International Investment & Business Forum on Grand Bahama last month that the Dream Group was one of the groups vying to take over the casino operations at the Grand Lucayan, having submitted a “very serious proposal”. Treasure Bay has operated the casino since 2009, and employs about 200 staff.