The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas is not presently in danger of suffering a US travel advisory over the recent murder spike, a senior hotelier asserted yesterday, adding that it was not yet "a major concern for tourism.

Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association's (BHTA) president, told Tribune Business: "As we've always stated, crime impacts everybody. This is not just about the tourism sector, but The Bahamas as a whole. Our employees, who live in the country and we work alongside, are impacted by it.

"Yes, we are concerned about this present situation. At this point in time, we will continue to monitor the efforts of the Government and concerned citizens in this particular area. This whole issue of highlighting the concerns and the remedial actions being taken is a step in the right direction."

Confirming that he was referring to Prime Minister Philip Davis KC's national address on crime with his latter remark, Mr Sands told this newspaper that he believes the authorities are "doing the best they can in the circumstances" to prevent further murders and violent crimes from occurring.

"I don't think it's the time to cry wolf at this particular point," he said. "As we work to mitigate against further incidents in this area, I think we're doing the best we can in the circumstances. I do not see the current incidents of crime, which are most egregious and most concerning, having an impact on the tourism sector that it becomes a matter of major concern at this point in time."

Asked whether the soaring murder rate in early 2024 could provoke a US travel advisory, or warning, to Americans visiting The Bahamas, the BHTA president said this was unlikely and pointed out that none of the recent high-profile crimes had involved or impacted visitors.

"I don't see that happening at this point in time," Mr Sands said of a US travel advisory. "These are not random incidents of crime that have happened. These are all inter-related as identified by the police and authorities. These are all related to one or two incidents. Hopefully the Government has it under control at this point in time."

Timothy Ingraham, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCEC) chairman, told this newspaper that the private sector body is monitoring the crime situation closely but has not heard of "any negative fall-out" for members thus far.

"Obviously the Chamber is watching this," he said. "We are hopeful that action can be taken to bring this under control as quickly as possible. We are all people who live in this community, and from the perspective of community first we want all of our citizens to be living in a safe environment and not be concerned about crime.

"Obviously the headlines at the moment, the murders going on, we are certainly hopeful the situation is brought under control very quickly and citizens feel safe going about in their day-to-day lives. I have not heard any of our members mention any negative fall-out at this moment.

"Places that cater to where people go at night may feel the impact if people feel unsafe going out at night. We wish everyone remains safe and we're hopeful we will be out of this cycle as quickly as possible."

Business owners have told this newspaper that all Bahamians and residents are literally paying the price for crime. The extra costs associated with hiring security firms/officers, installing surveillance systems, window/door bars and other protection and preventative measures are ultimately passed on to consumers through higher prices for the goods and services they purchase.

This, private sector operators said, adds further to the cost of living crisis facing middle class and lower income Bahamians with one company yesterday telling Tribune Business that security-related costs were “next to salaries our biggest expense” in 2023.

Crime and related violence has blighted Bahamian society for decades with the issue regaining prominence following the bloody start to 2024. The murder rate for the year’s first two weeks represented a 150 percent year-over-year increase, and a decade high, amid a spate of what are believed to be retaliatory killings, gang-related violence, personal feuds and the settling of scores, and an inability to resolve conflict.