NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Disney executives said yesterday that the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed its Lighthouse Point project by “a year to a year and a half”, with the development now slated to open in the first half of 2024.
Disney executives, while addressing members of the media yesterday on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the South Eleuthera project, noted an economic impact study done by Oxford Economic has indicated that over a 25-year period, the project is conservatively expected to provide a more than $800 million increase to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and a more than $355 million increase in Bahamian government revenues.
Kim Prunty, Disney Cruise Line vice president of Communications and Public Affairs, when asked how much the pandemic had delayed the project, said: “It’s about a year to a year-and-a-half-long delay.”
Disney purchased 758 acres of the 919-acre site in 2019 and has indicated its plans include developing less than 20 percent of the property, mostly for low-density uses like open-air structures, patios and walkways.
The company has also noted that the construction of an open-trestle pier that extends into deep water will prevent the dredging of a ship channel.
The project’s proposal had raised concern among some environmentalists, who launched a digital campaign — “Stop Disney – Last Chance for Lighthouse Point” — against the project.
Up to press time last night, the campaign had garnered over 440,000 signatures of its 500,000 goal.
According to Prunty, the cruise line plans to have a ship in port three to five days a week.
“It will be one ship at a time. The number of passengers is a bit difficult to estimate because there will be different classes of ships,” she said yesterday.
Prunty noted that 75 percent of Disney’s cruises come to The Bahamas.
“It is as much our home as anywhere. The Bahamas is very much an important part of our business,” she said.
Prunty noted that the pandemic should not negatively impact the cruise line’s passenger volumes over the long-term.
“Over the long-term, I don’t think the numbers will change. I think that as we look to the future, our projections are pretty consistent with what they have been from the beginning,” she said.
“In the short-term, I think there will be an impact. This destination is not going to open until 2024, so we would consider that a longer-term investment.
“In the short-term, at this point, we are awaiting technical guidance from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to understand what that kind of ramp-up to normal operations would be.”
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