The Tribune

IT is a welcome sight to see the return of Royal Caribbean as part of the ongoing recovery of the tourism market.

The cruise line has chosen to home port in The Bahamas, and on Saturday, the inaugural sailing set off from Nassau.

Royal Caribbean has an ever-increasing interest in The Bahamas. It is also involved in the Grand Lucayan revival in Grand Bahama, and it has plans for a beach break destination on Paradise Island – which has just been granted seven acres of land, more than was originally asked for.

There has been some back and forth on the latter, particularly because of the potential entanglement with a neighbouring project to revive the lighthouse on Paradise Island. We hope both businesses can be good neighbours, and find a way to resolve any problems amicably, so that both can thrive during the economic recovery.

The decision to home port in The Bahamas is a welcome one – not least because it doesn’t just generate income from the time that cruise visitors are disembarking during the cruise, but from hotel stays before and after the ship docks. Visitors can extend their stays beyond the sailing itself, which brings more potential for income than the sometimes small number people might part with while walking around Downtown or heading for the Fish Fry.

But we would be wise to take note of the political waters that cruise ships are sailing in right now as well. In Florida, for example, Florida governor Ron DeSantis is refusing to back down from a state law he has sought that bars the cruise industry from requiring passengers to be vaccinated.

Think back to the start of the pandemic and you’ll remember the stories of ships stuck at sea while they tried to find a port that would allow them to disembark with infected passengers – Florida among the places refusing a ship initially. A repeat of passengers stuck at sea with illness would be a nightmare for both the passengers and the industry. Cruise lines need to get back to business and show everything can be smooth sailing. It doesn’t need hurdles being put in place for political reasons, it needs safety.

This isn’t just a theory – it’s already playing out in practice. On June 5, the Celebrity Millennium set off from St Maarten for a seven-night cruise. Two passengers aboard tested positive. There were 600 passengers on board and 700 crew members. Celebrity Cruises – owned by Royal Caribbean – required all crew and passengers aged 16 or over to be vaccinated, and that likely stopped the virus in its tracks.

If other jurisdictions want to make things riskier for cruise lines, well, then perhaps the home porting trend will expand and we can welcome more ships and more passengers to our shores – safely.

Compass Point row

Compass Point owner Leigh Rodney has, it seems, had enough. He has named the date for when he will close the New Providence resort – May 3, 2022.

His reason for closing the resort down is a long-rumbling dispute with the government. Previously, he has written to staff telling them he wasn’t sure whether he was going to close the business or not – though goodness knows what he expected staff to do with that letter. He had also threatened to close down come the 2022 election unless the government addressed his concerns. Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar has noticeably kept his distance from the row, saying he was “not moved” by Mr Rodney’s closure threats and grandstanding.

Mr D’Aguilar seems to still not know what it is that Mr Rodney wants and what he is unhappy with.

Now Mr Rodney says he will shut the business down on May 3 next year, leaving up to 60 Bahamians unemployed, and turn the property into houses for his family.

It seems strange that Mr Rodney is shutting down right when there might be a change of government if he feels this one hasn’t listened, but that’s up to him. It’s just a shame there is no alternative or way to break the deadlock – and keep staff in jobs.