Inside source assures Royal Caribbean eager to meet with taxi union over concerns
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Taxi Cab Union President Wesley Ferguson yesterday voiced serious concerns that local taxi drivers will be left disadvantaged when the Royal Caribbean beach club destination on Paradise Island comes on stream.
Ferguson told Eyewitness News: “We want to know what there is for us to gain if their ships come in and they can take passengers by ferry to their beach club. The tourist will never be able to interact with the locals, go downtown or to the various sites and Royal Caribbean walks away with all the money.
“That is something we will not stand for and disagree with strongly. Certainly the taxi union is not going to allow that to happen. We will be watching and will be making a lot of noise about that.”
Royal Caribbean executives told a virtual Town Planning meeting on the proposed development that the project will bring an additional 1.2 million visitors to Nassau annually by 2030, with 3,500 daily visitors.
According to James Black, president of private destinations for the cruise line, the development will not compete with Downtown Nassau and the Straw Market.
Local entrepreneur Toby Smith has proposed a $2 million restoration of Paradise Island’s lighthouse and initiated legal action against the government for failing to give effect to his Crown land lease.
Responding to Ferguson’s concerns, a source close to the cruise line told Eyewitness News: “Royal Caribbean is very eager to meet with the taxi drivers and taxi union.
“Homeporting, in particular, will bring tremendous opportunity as everyone who flies in to board a ship for a cruise will need to be transported from the airport to where they will check-in at the Hilton before boarding or to a hotel of their choice if they are coming in early ahead of the cruise and enjoying the Nassau experience before or after their voyage.”
The source continued: “In addition, the proposed PI project also involves longer stays so everyone who wants to go to PI, who wants to take a ferry there, will also have an additional approximately five hours in port to do what they want.
“They can’t eat at any of the restaurants on the ship while in port or gamble or shop — all of those facilities are closed in port — so it is likely that more guests than ever will be moving around town. They will have more time than they ever did before to take longer excursions to places like Clifford Heritage Park or BNT (Bahamas National Trust) parks or to go sightseeing.
“What a great opportunity for taxi drivers to develop new and interesting tours, which they could do by subject of interest — places where movies were filmed or the grand church tour or an art tour.”
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