NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Abaco Chamber of Commerce President Chantelle Sands urged the island’s business community to pursue new markets, embrace technology and strengthen collaboration, warning that resilience must mean more than simply surviving the next challenge.
Speaking at the 22nd Abaco Business Outlook, Sands said businesses must position themselves to take advantage of emerging opportunities while helping to build a stronger and more competitive Abaco economy.
“Resilience cannot simply mean surviving the next challenge,” Sands said. “It must also mean preparing ourselves to take advantage of the next opportunity.”
She noted that the Chamber has spent the past year increasing its active membership and developing strategic partnerships intended to create greater opportunities for Abaco businesses.
Those efforts included strengthening relationships with the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation and the Small Business Development Centre. The Chamber also held discussions with the Inter-American Development Bank and OCARE ahead of the planned rollout of a Blue Economy Project.
Sands said the Chamber connected businesses with resources through sessions involving the Small Business Development Centre, the Tourism Development Corporation and the Bahamas Development Bank.
It also hosted a business support and compliance expo that brought public and private-sector agencies together to help businesses better understand available resources and regulatory requirements.
The Chamber additionally secured opportunities for young business professionals to participate in international trade missions alongside public and private-sector delegations.
“These experiences expose our young professionals to new markets, new ideas and new business relationships and give them opportunities to bring that knowledge back home,” Sands said.
She also pointed to the Chamber’s advocacy for a review of increased boating fees, which she said had contributed to a decline in business at hotels, marinas and other establishments dependent on boating tourists.
Following discussions involving the Abaco Chamber, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, the Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association and Ministry of Finance officials, the fees were amended in April, Sands said.
The Chamber also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Small Business Development Centre in July to expand entrepreneurs’ access to resources, training, mentorship and opportunities for business growth.
Sands acknowledged, however, that more work remains to be done and called on Abaco businesses to become more actively involved in the Chamber.
“The Chamber is not just the Board; the Chamber is its membership,” she said. “And the stronger our membership becomes, the stronger our collective voice becomes.”
She also challenged businesses to improve the overall experience offered to visitors, noting that Abaco’s tourism product extends beyond its beaches and natural environment.
“Every visitor’s experience is shaped by all of us — where they stay, how they get around, where they eat, what they do and how they are treated,” Sands said.
She encouraged businesses to assess whether they are operating professionally, effectively using technology and making it easy for customers to find them, make bookings and complete payments.
Sands also stressed the need for Abaco’s economy to diversify beyond tourism by developing new products, services and markets.
“Can someone in Nassau buy your product? Can someone overseas find you, order from you and pay you?” she asked. “These are the opportunities we must begin to pursue.”
She said greater collaboration among hotels, restaurants, marinas, transportation providers, suppliers, retailers and service providers would create a stronger economic ecosystem.
“We have an opportunity to be better prepared, better connected, more innovative, more professional and more competitive,” Sands said. “An outlook is not simply about predicting the future. It is about preparing for it and helping to shape it.”
