NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Environmental advocacy group Protect Our Islands Fund (POIF) is once again calling on Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis to carefully consider how his administration will prioritize protecting the environment on Paradise Island.
The renewed call comes after former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis in the House of Assembly last week sought to defend his administration’s deal with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, which is investing some $50 million to develop a beach club destination on Paradise Island Crown land.
Our nation’s hair braiders, straw market vendors, artisans, musicians, taxicab drivers, tour operators and other tourism-related entrepreneurs should be concerned about what access to tourists did the Minnis administration secure for them with the RCI deal.
– Protect Our Islands Fund
Slamming the Royal Caribbean deal as “ill-conceived”, POIF said in a statement: “For Protect Our Island Funds, the revelation of RCI’s (Royal Caribbean) 150-year lease signed under the Minnis administration makes it clear that on the environment and economics aspects of the Paradise Island project, [it] is a bad deal for The Bahamas.
“The lease mandates that the government renew every 25 years while ensuring RCI only pays a fraction of what they expect to profit off the project. How will RCI guarantee that money is reinvested in the Bahamian people whose Crown land they are profiting off of?
“The answer is simple — they can’t.”
POIF also raised concern about whether the beach club would divert cruise passengers away from downtown businesses.
“Will a beach club on PI (Paradise Island) only divert cruise passenger to spend into the hands of RCI and away from downtown shops, vendors and onshore excursion operators?” it asked.
The group added: “Our nation’s hair braiders, straw market vendors, artisans, musicians, taxicab drivers, tour operators and other tourism-related entrepreneurs should be concerned about what access to tourists did the Minnis administration secure for them with the RCI deal.
POIF also called on the government to ensure Royal Caribbean “fulfills its hollow promise of ‘another’ economic benefit for Bahamians”, but maintained its position that the deal is nonetheless “a bad deal all around for Bahamians who are too often asked to put the environment at risk for the sake of the economy”.
“Are the dubious economics on this RCI deal worth the financial and environmental costs?” POIF asked.
“No Crown land should ever be leased for 150 years, especially this small strip of land that has been a green oasis near our country’s largest city, all for a project with little-to-no economic benefit to the surrounding area.”
Loading ...
