NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Tourism stakeholders yesterday warned that the country’s tourism product and the wider society are being threatened by escalating violent crime as they called for a collective effort in tackling the issue.
The plea came from the hotel sector’s representative body The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) which issued a statement in response to a US State Department Travel Advisory. The advisory was reissued on October 5 with updates to health information and still has The Bahamas at a Level 2 with an “Exercise increased caution” designation that the BHTA called “unfortunate”.
The US is warning its citizens to exercise increased caution in The Bahamas due to crime.
According to the US State Department, “The majority of crime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands. In Nassau, practice increased vigilance in the “Over the Hill” area (south of Shirley Street) where gang-on-gang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate primarily affecting the local population. Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas. Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do not have a presence”.
The advisory continued: “Activities involving commercial recreational watercraft, including water tours, are not consistently regulated. Watercraft may be poorly maintained and some operators may not have safety certifications. Due to these concerns, U.S. government personnel are not permitted to use independently operated jet-ski rentals on New Providence and Paradise Islands. Never swim alone, regardless of your age or level of swimming skills. Keep within your fitness and swimming capabilities. Be aware of weather and water conditions and heed local warnings.
Robert “Sandy” Sands, President of The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) commenting on the advisory said, “While we recognize crime is a global ailment, small island nations, heavily reliant on the tourism industry, are particularly vulnerable to the ill-effects of crime for a number of reasons. Not only can it deter visitors from choosing to visit The Bahamas; when crime hits it hurts our people as a whole.”
He continued: “The impact of crime left unabated is an absolute threat to our nation’s tourism product and to society. We must work assiduously and immediately to stamp out the glowing embers that are threatening to “run hot” in our country. We must enhance efforts to combat crime collectively. We in the tourism industry have a saying Tourism is Everybody’s Business… so is crime! I cannot emphasize that enough. We must unite in the fight against crime.”
The country’s murder count is now in the triple digits with just over two months remaining in the year. On Friday, a double homicide was recorded in the capital as a mother and her adult son were reportedly shot and killed by a man who was being electronically monitored as part of bail conditions for a murder charge. The double homicide took place at Sutton Street off Kemp Road shortly before 10am.
Sands said: “How can we be the best version of ourselves at work when we just lost someone we love because of crime. How can we be as productive as possible if we feel we have to leave work early to get home before dark because we are worried about our own personal safety. How can we concentrate fully if we are concerned about our children at school, or our elderly parent at home alone.
“Crime at any level is as insidious as it is dangerous. We have seen what rampant crime can do to countries who have had to deploy extreme, highly visible public safety measures to cauterize criminal activity. The BHTA looks forward to continuing to work with The Government of The Bahamas, law enforcement, tourism stakeholders, industry partners, and civil society, on a collaborative strategy to address this vexing issue.”
