The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Straw Market vendors are voicing “disappointment” that the Nassau Cruise Port has not made more of an effort to restart stalled talks on marketing their products to its thousands of visitors.

Rebecca Small, Straw Business Persons Society president, questioned why promotional talks between the Straw Market Authority’s Board and the cruise port have come to a “standstill” because the latter has not received a list of crafts people and artisans producing authentically Bahamian products.

She said: “I’m disappointed with the cruise port because the Straw Market just didn’t come on the map all of a sudden. I am a third generation straw vendor, so for me to be a third generation straw vendor we are no ‘Johnny Come Lately’.

“For them to state that they cannot promote the Straw Market because they have not heard back from the Straw Market Authority, that’s baloney in my opinion.”

Ms Small said that if Nassau Cruise Port was experiencing difficulties obtaining a list of artisans and crafts people it could have consulted the Ministry of Works, which is responsible for the Straw Market, or the Ministry of Tourism. She added that the delay in promoting the Straw Market is a “disservice” to the vendors and the tourism industry.

She said: “The Straw Market Authority came into play in 2011. They could have consulted with the Ministry of Works, who we sit under, so I don’t buy that. They could have called tourism. I think it’s a disservice to this tourism industry, and it’s a disservice to us as straw vendors. I don’t buy that at all.”

Speaking to Tribune Business, another straw vendor said the Nassau Cruise Port is “full of excuses” and shared doubts that it will follow through on the promised promotion of the Straw Market. She described this as the “tip of the iceberg”, as it seemed the cruise port was only interested in promoting the vendors on its property.

She said: “They want all the tourists to stay in the port and shop. I mean, for years, right, people could wander around and see different things and make up their mind what they want to buy, but now by the time they come out they already have what they want.

“I mean all these tourists every day and it’s harder now to make a dollar. I don’t understand it. It’s like they trying to cut us out and always have an excuse of why we are in the wrong, but we just want them to be fair.”

When asked if she thinks Nassau Cruise Port is hesitant to promote their wares because they are not “authentically Bahamian”, she defended the right of vendors decision to sell t-shirts and other souvenirs that are not locally crafted.

She said: “I can speak for myself and other vendors. We have authentic goods. I have straw works that I did myself, but what are we supposed to do if the people say it’s too expensive?

“We sell other things to make up because sometimes people only want to spend a couple dollars and get a key chain or t-shirt, so we have those things as well. We have to make a living, too.

“I can’t say I won’t sell them any more because then I won’t make no money. I thought that was why they was promoting the Straw Market; so we could get more attention for our local products and then we could sell more. I’m telling you, it’s hard work to make all these things and then nothing sell, but this our livelihood so of course we have to make other things available.”

Last week, Mike Maura, Nassau Cruise Port’s chief executive, told Tribune Business it had offered from last year to promote and advertise straw vendors who made authentically-Bahamian products for free within the revamped $330m port facility.

However, he asserted that the project has not moved forward because the Straw Market Authority has yet to supply a list of artisans and crafts people who produce products that meet this criteria.

Mr Maura said that, while the cruise port “remains very sincere in our desire” to execute the agreement with the Authority, it cannot proceed to execute this commitment until it knows who to interview and feature.

Straw vendors have recently been complaining that they receive fewer customers following the renovation of the Nassau Cruise Port, but Mr Maura maintained that the country seeing record cruise passengers for the first half of 2024 creates a “bigger piece of the tourism pie that people are able to take a bit out of”.