The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE all-important statistic in Tourism is those who visit and stay in an hotel or condo or apartment our total number of what is called ‘stay over’ visitors, these folks have been flat - no increase for the past ten years and certainly since 2012 the last election.

Watching the IAAF event last evening it came to me that there is a very empathise by this current Government to hold and accept to take on many International Seminars - Conference and Symposiums all bringing visitors who are usually government employees - the event costs The Bahamas Treasury and there is little or no profit.

Could Minister Wilchcombe advise us what is the total of visitors who fall under this header?

I suspect stay-over visitor performance under the Christie Government is so low that it will shock you if you kick these visitors out ... maybe we only got 850,000 ‘real visitors’.

Oh we know about the cruise visitors but Government had nothing to do with that the FNM dredged the harbour and in six plus months the work was paid for by increased cruise arrivals ... not spend as only 30+% ever came ashore.

The MOT - Sports Ministry’s events are a total waste of our monies - how much longer can BTC spend and spend a cool $1m to hold these events are – we making any money from BTC?

The sole Sports event that makes money is Atlantis Collegiate Basketball event.

A new Government has to cancel those events that solely rely on local Bahamian spending to place the scarce treasury money and that includes – receiving bids (name the bidders)] - the process of asset transfer from Baha Mar to EXIM and then EXIM to their Company, Lucky etc... then to CHENGFOOK are made public.

There should be nothing to surprise us so it should be extremely easy for you, Prime Minister - EXIM and the Receiver to agree to apply to Justice Winder to unseal the Supreme Court documents, immediately.

Continued silence will totally continue to tar this deal and the Perry Christie Government and all who are part of it, outgoing, will be impacted and will have an enormous impact on the election.

If there is nothing to hide, then show, Mr Prime Minister. You are so proud, rightly for the opening then be prouder still show nothing can be questioned.

TERRENCE FORBES

Nassau,

April 23, 2017.