The Tribune

• Operators: Tourists ‘don’t want to leave the hotel or ship’

• Pirates Cove: Videos ‘conflict’ with sexual assault claims

• 20% of cruise visitors stayed on ship in Nassau pre-alert

By YOURI KEMP

and NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Reporters

Bahamian tour and excursion providers yesterday revealed a 50 percent across-the-board business decline because tourists “don’t want to leave the hotel or ship” due to crime fears.

Adoni Lisgaris, the Bahamas Excursion Operators Association (BEOA) president, told Tribune Business that recent saturation media coverage of US and Canadian crime alerts on The Bahamas - branded as a “misinterpretation” by the Government and tourism industry - have caused a significant fall-off in business over the past two weeks.

Attributing this to tourists “not wanting to get off of the cruise ship or leave their hotel”, he added: “People are cancelling, people are not booking and don’t want to leave the comfort and safety of the hotel. I’ve spoken to everybody and they told me that they are about 50 percent down since the travel advisory. They are not doing anything because of the travel advisory, saying it is not safe.”

Mr Lisgaris’ comments provide further insight into the impact global media coverage is having on The Bahamas’ largest industry as it heads into the peak winter tourism season, with this newspaper reporting yesterday on Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) president, revealing that crime-related concerns have produced a “drag on the booking pace”.

And Michael Maura, Nassau Cruise Port’s chief executive, recently revealed to Tribune Business that around one in five cruise passengers do not exit the ship when docked in Nassau given that many have already visited on previous voyages and believe there is nothing new or exciting to do.

“The fact is one-third of our visitors have purchased some form of pre-booked tour,” he said. “I would say there’s maybe 40 percent who choose to be what’s described as independent visitors, meaning someone who has not pre-purchased a tour or experience, and then you have the remaining 20 percent-odd who do not get off the ship because they’ve been to Nassau already.

“Approximately one out of every two passengers are repeat cruisers so we’re working on getting more of those 20 percent off the ship.” Based on the fact Nassau Cruise Port is projected to receive a total 5.5m passengers in 2024, that 20 percent would potentially translate to 1.1m who remain on board the vessel in port and not inject monies into the Bahamian economy while here.

Seatrade Cruise News, in an article published this week, while crediting the $300m-plus investment in Nassau Cruise Port for helping to increase passenger numbers, said “multiple sources” had described the Bahamian capital as having failed to deploy new product offerings and attractions that raise its “appeal to cruisers, guest satisfaction or tour sales”.

“Outside of Baha Mar and Atlantis, there is nothing to do,” one unnamed cruise executive was quoted as saying. “Most people have cruised to Nassau and cruise passengers don’t want to get off the ship in Nassau.”

Meanwhile, tourism-related crime concerns expanded to Grand Bahama as US and international media after two Kentucky natives claimed they were sexually assaulted at a beach at Pirates Cove which features the zip-line and other attractions popular with visitors and locals alike.

The duo were said to have been visiting on a Carnival cruise ship, and two men - one a 54-year-old from Eight Mile Rock, the other a 40-year-old from South Bahamia - were reported by police as having been arrested over the allegations.

However, Pirates Cove in a statement late last night said that while it had terminated the two staff alleged to have been involved its surveillance video recordings “conflict” with the claims made by the two American women.

“At Pirates Cove, the safety of our guests and team members is always paramount,” the company said. “We regret that our guests experienced this incident, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to aid police in the collection of evidence in response to these allegations, including providing police access to video from the 16 cameras around the beach facility where the assault of the two guests allegedly occurred.

“Accusations of any kind are always thoroughly investigated by Pirates Cove management and, when warranted, the organisation calls in local authorities. When the assault was reported to staff, Pirates Cove employees and management took swift action to assist the women and ensure their safety.

“Local authorities and paramedics were called to the scene and Pirates Cove management assisted in identifying and locating the two alleged suspects. In addition, after the police concluded their initial investigation, we assisted in transporting the women back to their cruise ship after guests refused transportation to the hospital.”

However, Pirates Cove then added: “Upon further review of the surveillance videos, the allegations made on-site and in subsequent social media posts and news stories conflict with what the time-stamped surveillance videos contain. As such, the lengthy videos of all concerned have been handed over to the local police and will be shared with our industry partners as needed.

“We take great pride in ensuring our guests have a safe and enjoyable experience when visiting Pirates Cove. In addition to having safety personnel and CCTV surveillance throughout the resort, employees and vendors of Pirates Cove must follow strict guidelines when interacting with guests. We have a zero-tolerance policy for fraternising with guests or behaving in a manner that is unsafe.

“While there is an active police investigation into these serious allegations, we have terminated the employment of the two accused, as the behaviour seen on tape by management indicates that, at a minimum, they violated our zero-tolerance policy. We strongly encourage all concerned parties to make sure all facts are considered before reaching a conclusion,” the operator continued.

“Having regard for the code of conduct expected of all staff at Pirates Cove and the thousands of guests who have visited our facility since 2016, we are very concerned about the allegations made and will continue to co-operate with authorities to faithfully resolve the issue.”

James Carey, the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce president, also told Tribune Business that while the allegations were “exceedingly concerning it may not be completely as reported in the press”. Nevertheless, he described US and international media coverage as “very unfortunate and, regardless of what the facts are, the damage is already done.

“The fact The Bahamas is already in the spotlight because of the number of murders, any blip on the radar will get attention and this is yet another one of those,” Mr Carey said. “We are already in the spotlight for other reasons.

“I can’t though, see it being particularly damaging. It’s an isolated incident and we have had no reports of anything happening to people moving around Grand Bahama. I’m hoping the impact will be softened because we are essentially crime free for tourists. It’s interesting the US embassy had nothing to say on the matter because they weigh in fairly quickly when these things happen.”