NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A top Royal Caribbean executive said yesterday that the signing of the Heads of Agreement (HOA) with the government for the cruise line’s beach club destination had finally put to bed any controversy surrounding its Crown Land lease and any possible overlap.
Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean’s Chief Product Innovation Officer, speaking with Eyewitness News on the sidelines of Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the beach club development, noted that the signing of the HOA with the government had solidified the company’s revised Crown Land Lease as opposed to the original seven acres and had confirmed its removal from the controversy which emerged after entrepreneur Toby Smith launched a legal fight against the government as he was seeking three of the same seven acres for his project.
“There is no controversy because with the signing of the document this morning there is no overlap with anybody. Anyone wanting to continue developing further to the west, we wish them the best,” said Schneider.
Government and Royal Caribbean officials yesterday touted the beach club destination’s benefits for Bahamians, providing jobs in construction and vendor opportunities as well as an equity stake. “This is an important project for us but it is important to the Bahamas overall. People want to go on a cruise to visit destinations. One of the places they want to go is the Bahamas. The beaches are amazing, the people are great, the culture is amazing, and the food is excellent, that’s what people want to experience.”
Schneider also revealed that by 2027, Royal Caribbean has committed to bringing 2.5 million visitors a year into the country and will likely exceed that number. “We plan on exceeding that number. When you look at the people that can actually go to the beach club, it is only a little shy of $1 million a year, so that means there are going to be 1.5 to 2 million guests of ours who won’t have that opportunity and will want to go do many of the other things here in Nassau. We need continued improvement of all the experiences on the island,” said Schneider.
Schneider said that the company had hoped to have the HOA earlier but remains confident that the beach club will open in 2025 but could not confirm a date. He also noted that Royal Caribbean has been working with a Bahamian environmental group that is conducting environmental monitoring.
