The Tribune

• Safety, not Nassau’s ‘lustre and beauty’, top of mind

• Union chief says ‘massive adverse effect’ on drivers

• Marinas see charters cancel; guests ‘uncomfortable’

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian taxi drivers are blaming the crime alert fall-out “for at least” a 50 percent earnings decline, with their union president yesterday blasting: “A few criminals have the country under siege.”

Wesley Ferguson, the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union’s president, told Tribune Business that all drivers are “growing tried” of constantly having to reassure tourists they are safe in this nation with their “main conversation” constantly focusing on the crime situation following the recent murder spike.

Explaining that his members are unable to focus on highlighting “the lustre and beauty of New Providence”, he added that the impact from saturation international media coverage surrounding the status of US and Canadian crime advisories on The Bahamas was “having a massive adverse effect” on the desire of tourists to take taxi rides around the island.

Mr Ferguson told this newspaper the call-up system at Nassau Cruise Port has been adjusted to ensure all drivers “get at least one fare” given that many passengers are either remaining on board the vessel while in port or only “venturing out” into Bay Street and downtown Nassau.

Amid shrunken tour-related fare income, he predicted that the upcoming Spring Break season is “not going to be very robust” unless The Bahamas quickly gets a grip on crime and the resulting public relations damage that is creating the perception internationally that this destination is no longer safe.

Both the Government and private sector have branded global media coverage as inaccurate and misleading, especially as the US ‘Level Two’ travel advisory on The Bahamas was not elevated or downgraded and remains unchanged from previous. Instead, the US only advised its citizens to take care given the recent spike in gang-related murders on New Providence.

However, Mr Ferguson warned that the entire tourism industry will soon “feel the pinch” if nothing is done to correct these impressions of The Bahamas, adding that activity and passenger numbers at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) are “a far cry” from what taxi drivers enjoyed during the same period last year.

“We are having a tremendous fall-out for the taxis as a result of these travel advisories levied against The Bahamas,” the taxi union president told Tribune Business. “Even at the docks [Nassau Cruise Port], where the majority of tourists come in, we had to adjust the taxi call-up system so people get at least one fare a day.

“Tourists are turning down a lot of taxi drivers not to go on tours. They don’t want to go on tours or go through the inner-city. The majority of persons are staying on the cruise ship or only venture downtown so it’s having a massive adverse effect on taxi drivers’ income. They [tourists] don’t want to venture far from the cruise port. They’re expressing their concerns and their fears are being mentioned to the drivers.”

Tours are often the most lucrative form of income for taxi drivers because they last longer and cover greater distances, thereby enabling them to charge higher fares. Mr Ferguson, though, said many drivers were seeing “regular clients” - for whom they provide transportation services throughout their stay in The Bahamas - cancel their winter tourism season bookings due to crime-related concerns.

“We’ve had a lot of cancellations for taxi drivers that have regular clients,” Mr Ferguson explained. “People come at this time of year and use them as their personal taxi drivers. A lot of those people are calling and saying they are cancelling those bookings.

“The drivers are basically experiencing a lot of fall-out, experiencing a lot of fare cancellations, and a lot of tourists are fearful of getting taxis period. It’s a big effect. It has to be the entire taxi industry. There are a lot of people cancelling who are supposed to have pre-agreed bookings with the taxi drivers. They cancelled their trip as a result of the advisory.

“Everybody’s feeling the effects whether they have a booking or walk-up customer. The entire industry is feeling the fall-out. No one is exempt from it. Even the few taxi drivers fortunate enough to persuade tourists to get in their car, the main conversation is the crime conditions in The Bahamas,” Mr Ferguson added.

“We have to reassure them it is safe. The drivers are getting tired of having to explain the crime situation instead of the lustre and beauty of the island. It’s a very, very negative effect on the tourism industry. We hope it’s resolved quickly, but if it doesn’t get better it will get worse.

“All of us have to remember Spring Break is coming up, and I don’t foresee us having a very robust Spring Break season because of crime. Those US parents, if not coming themselves, will be very reluctant to send their children to a country that is crime-ridden. If business does not turn around quickly, I don’t foresee a robust Spring Break.”

As a result of all this, Mr Ferguson estimated that the average income for taxi drivers “has dropped off at least 50 percent”. He added that the slowdown was being especially felt at the industry’s two main business sources, namely the Nassau Cruise Port and LPIA.

“The hotels are going to be feeling the pinch in short while,’” the taxi union chief said. “They are trying to hold it off but will be feeling the pinch. The airport is not as busy as in previous years. To compare this year with last year, it’s a far cry from what we had last time.

“All of us are going to feel the pinch in a little while. It seems to be that the criminals have taken over the country. The Government seems to no longer be in control, the police no longer seem to be in control. A few criminals have our country under siege.”

No tourists have been involved in or impacted by the recent murder spike, with all killings occurring away from the hotel areas. And The Bahamas has pointed out that this nation is likely just as safe, or even safer, than many cities in the US and other countries that have been issuing travel warnings against this nation.

However, the situation received extensive media coverage in New York and the north-east, which is the primary tourist source market for this nation, as well as across the US with much of the reporting giving the incorrect impression that the travel advisory on The Bahamas has been elevated.

It has featured on major TV networks, such as NBC, ABC and CNN, as well as in newspapers including the New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today. The New York Post told Americans to “think twice about a tropical getaway to the Caribbean this winter”, adding: “Safety concerns have reached a point of severity where US officials say people shouldn’t even try to ‘physically resist’ being robbed.”

The impact is also being felt by Bahamian marinas, and the boating/yachting industry. Peter Maury, the former Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) president, last night told Tribune Business that one client had informed him it was cancelling its charter season in this nation because its guests had been unsettled by media coverage of the crime situation and travel advisories.

“We were talking about that in our marina chat group,” he said. “People are worried about coming to The Bahamas because of what’s going on. We had a boat cancel their charter season because of this. They said their guests don’t feel comfortable being here. We’re fighting to get guests into the country, and this doesn’t help, that’s for sure. Everyone is talking about it.”

Mr Maury likened global media coverage to what happened when Hurricane Dorian struck Abaco and Grand Bahama in September 2019, as it gave the misleading impression that the Bahamas had been “wiped out” when 14 of its 16 island destinations were not impacted.

“People don’t want to take any chances and I don’t blame them either,” he added of the present situation. “We say ‘come visit us in The Bahamas’ and something happens. It is what it is. I don’t know how they’re going to sort this out but it’s a mess. Amongst ourselves as the operators everybody’s kind of heard the same thing from people and are generally citing the same concerns.

“I think everybody’s going through it. I can’t imagine the hotels and Airbnbs not getting the same questions. If you go on vacation, why go on vacation to somewhere where there are warnings all over the place. I think everybody in hospitality is facing the same circumstances. What can you do?

“You can tell them it’s isolated in certain areas. It’s a tough one. You almost don’t know what to say because if they do come and something happens.... Most marina operators I’ve spoken to have similar concerns. We’re all getting the same questions. We try to give them the right information, but when they have high-end clients they have to be concerned about... We’re dealing with the fall-out.”

Vacation rentals are more vulnerable to travel alerts and crime advisories because they are often located outside traditional tourist and hotel zones, and therefore have less security and persons around, while also being based in or near areas suffering criminal activity.

Bruce Raine, who recently switched from the New Providence vacation rental space to long-term leases, told Tribune Business: “I think Airbnbs and vacation rentals are going to take a hit if we cannot get it quieted in a reasonable space of time. Airbnbs are everywhere. They don’t have to come here or go to our Family Island as they do.

“If we don’t deal with it quickly we’re going to be in trouble as is the general economy. The economy is not just one item; there are many people involved in the economy... It’s unsettled everybody. It’s crazy. People are scared everywhere. They’d better move quickly; that’s all I can say.”