By FARRAH JOHNSON
THE summer season is one of the liveliest seasons for tourism in the country, but for some local vendors sales have been declining annually.
The Tribune spoke to vendors on the outskirts of the Cruise Port who say competition from the vendors affiliated with the cruise ship companies are hurting small businessmen.
One vendor, Ashley “Goldstein” Meadows said: “Business right now is medium, it's mediocre, right in the middle.Why? Most of the individuals [in the cruise port] get most of their people from the cruise ships so they beat you out.
"Most of those people are booked with the big companies so by the time it gets out here for the smaller man to get some business, there’s nothing happening. You have to get your scraps from the bottom of the barrel. If you don’t go online and advertise with the hotels, you’re not going to get any business. Fortunately for myself, I’ve got over 40 years experience in the business so I have repeat customers from over the years so I could survive.”
A local tour guide, who requested anonymity, added: “Business is very, very, very slow and every month it’s getting worse. Business is declining and no matter how many ships we have there’s nothing different it’s the same thing. [Even] if we have five ships [it’s the] same thing. They have other companies who come and they get everything from the ship and the ship don’t allow us to have anything.They tell the people don’t bring no money out, don’t trust us [because] we steal [and] they demoralize us out here. So we don’t really have anything going on [and] every year it gets worse. Every time you look you see a different tour guide company coming from [one of] the ships. The ships do all the selling and the tours now.”
The guide’s partner who also asked to be anonymous said: “I believe the government can provide more marketing [for local vendors].When they [cruise ships] are in port we can hear music jamming from the cruise ship area. They [the government] allow them too much with the merchants and entertainment and it’s too much for the merchants on the ground to compete with. Also, they [the cruise ship companies] need to stop telling the tourists to leave they money on the ship because we steal and rob. We don’t do that and it have them in fear. You can’t bring a whole cruise ship to The Bahamas and telling them those kind of things.What you here for?”
Comments
DDK 5 years, 5 months ago
Cruise ships or no, business in general is declining annually, with the exceptions of major food stores, liquor stores and last, but certainly not least, NUMBERS HOUSES! Bad situation.
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 5 months ago
" local tour guide, who requested anonymity, added: “Business is very, very, very slow and every month it’s getting worse. Business is declining and no matter how many ships we have there’s nothing different it’s the same thing. [Even] if we have five ships [it’s the] same thing. They have other companies who come and they get everything from the ship and the ship don’t allow us to have anything.They tell the people don’t bring no money out, don’t trust us [because] we steal [and] they demoralize us out here. So we don’t really have anything going on [and] every year it gets worse. Every time you look you see a different tour guide company coming from [one of] the ships. The ships do all the selling and the tours now."
Maybe it's time for you to organize as a group to sell your services. You can't force anyone to spend money with you. You have to make them want to spend money with you
truetruebahamian 5 years, 5 months ago
She is so right. The competition to the Bahamian dockside and downtown tourist industry is the cruise ships themselves - yet we give away land and benefits to these greedy foreign smiling faced looters of our economy and the economies of other countries whose governments are stupid enough to buy into their rainbow projections. Their only real projection is for themselves. Tax them, make them pay, they unload foul unwanted waste in our waters and laugh at the minimal amount of money that they are fined for breaking local and international laws. They are the real enemy, the ones who enjoy the slipshod way that their continued infractions are encountered and allowed to slip by - and they will continue to get away with this stinking practice until some absolute and draconian penalty is levied. Admittedly, there is nothing Bahamian being sold in the straw market - which is a sad reflection on the greed, laziness, larcenous and falsicicating of the abilities of the majority of straw market occupant/vendors (who complain about paying stall fees and don't - because they feel so entitled after 1967) These people are also the enemy. It is high time to tackle and resolve these stated problems and others. Those who feel that they are unfairly targeted are the ones who have caused the problems from the beginning. Snap them into line. No remorse, no escape, no back door. As to the cruise lines - the same. They will have to capitulate should they want a profit making destination. That includes all stops and 'Private Islands' Get real everyone or get out, get fined, get deported and get locked up or locked out.
DDK 5 years, 5 months ago
WELL put!!
John 5 years, 5 months ago
One of the saddest things is to ride through Potters Cay and see what is happening to the vendors out there. This only recently booming, all Bahamian popular food and drink spot has been turned into a ghost town over night. And it was an effort launched years ago to close this spot down. So now when the tourist comes over the bridge, rather than seeing a place bustling with activity they see an area cordoned off with dozens of armed police. In fact more police are stationed at Potters Cay than probably and other single area in The Bahamas, including Government House where there was also a murder recently. Rather than blocking parking completely, they could have reconfigured where persons could park in the lanes under the bridge and away from the stalls. A taxi, for example could have parked and waited while their guests went and had a few drinks or conch salad. Now they must drop them off, exit the area to find parking, then go get their cab and return to pick up their passengers when they are ready to leave. Our people perish for the lack of common sense.
Sign in to comment
OpenID