The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

A cruise line yesterday projected that up to one-quarter of its 250,000 annual passengers will “overnight” in Nassau hotels after making its first voyage to the Bahamian capital.

Francis Riley, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Lines’ senior vice-president of marketing, told Tribune Business it is targeting a “20 percent to 25 percent cruise and stay” among its Grand Classica passengers given that Nassau is larger and more modern than its previous Grand Bahama destination.

With the Grand Classica set to call on Nassau for the “foreseeable future”, Riley said its “cruise and stay” passengers will be a huge economic boost for Nassau. Bahamas Paradise Cruise Lines is now in talks with Atlantis on the mega resort’s potential participation in their programme.

However, Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, describe the Grand Classica ‘s Nassau calls as “a zero sum game” because the capital is gaining at Freeport’s expense. Bahamas Paradise Cruise Lines has diverted the vessel here because of the damage inflicted upon Grand Bahama by Hurricane Dorian.

“It’s a zero sum game,” he told Tribune Business. “I don’t see any increase: It’s just a shifting temporarily of that book of business from Grand Bahama to Nassau. I’m sure the people in Grand Bahama are anxious for it to come back.”

Oniel Khosa, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Lines’ chief executive, said the Grand Classica will dock in Nassau every two nights for at least 15 calls per month as it sails between the Bahamian capital and Palm Beach, Florida.

He added that it was too early to determine the economic and financial impact from changing the port of call, but said coming to Nassau would bring more of a city experience for passengers as opposed to Grand Bahama’s beaches.

Asked how long he expects the Grand Classica to call on Nassau, Mr Khosa replied: “We don’t know how much longer it will take for Grand Bahama to reach a situation where they can sustain two cruise ships, so we don’t have a sense of timing as yet, but certainly I see us coming into Nassau for the foreseeable future.”

He added that the cruise line wanted its passengers to stay at at all the major hotels that are part of the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board, and said it has started marketing the Melia, Comfort Suites, and Baha Mar’s SLS Lux and the Grand Hyatt so visitors can “choose their destination”.

Fred Lounsberry, the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board’s chief executive, said this latest cruise option will have a big impact for Nassau given that it will bring about 250,000 passengers per year.

He said: “I think it, for the most part, will be incremental business. They are looking at about 250,000 passengers a year and they cruise out of Palm Beach. I think the very unique thing is that you can cruise over and stay for two, four or six nights and cruise back.”