Just another industry in the Bahamas that is mismanaged and overrun by thugs, nothing to see here folks, just Bahamians screwing themselves once again.

It is strange that ONLY the Cove has warned its guests. They need a massive sign on the beach.

CHINA has advised some of its banks to stop trading US Dollars. China has suspended trading on its stock market several times last week as investors continue to panic and run for the hills In the main time there is hardly a single cargo ship in transit between Europe and North America. For the first time in history commerce has come to a standstill! Virtually. Gas prices in the US are expected to fall to below $1.00 for the first time in 15 years. THE great recession is looming and the US seems to be the major target to get hit. Is there any connection between this and the travel advisories issued for Americans travelling to the Bahamas.

Some of my financial models show a Dow Jones decline of 25% down to 12500 from its current 16500, coming in the 2017 time frame. But that is only in some fintech models. Most other models are optimistic for North America (essentially US, Canada & Mexico).

The recent job numbers in the US were pretty fantastic and new car sales in North America had a all-time record year.

The US GDP is expected to rise by a respectable 2.7%. Unemployment will fall to 4.6%. Single family homes will go up 16% in 2016. Core inflation will rise by 2.4% -- inflation of about 2% is considered healthy.

The hallmark of these times is unevenness. Just because some sectors are doing well, doesn't mean that everyone is doing well. The middle class is being squeezed. In this 4th Industrial Revolution, the knowledge workers command the high salaries, while almost every non-professional job will probably see a decline in wages and standard of living -- especially with inflation going from 0.7% to 2,4%

Interest rates will rise, and coupled with inflation, the Bahamian government debt will be more difficult to service because of it. It will bite more and more into general revenues, and the current level of deficits is unsustainable.

If NHI becomes a reality, it will probably be the straw that breaks the camels back in two ways. First of all, doctors and pharmacists will make less money, and there is the potential for a brain drain with doctors leaving. There are doctor shortages in select parts of North America (Canada for one). Secondly with the payroll tax or whatever means they come up to fund it, many mid to large businesses will either cut back or leave. I know of two or three major business owners who have been looking to relocate since 2010, and some of them have actively taken steps to figure out how to export dollars to Florida or the Caymans through various means.

While the US may enjoy better economic times, the same is not true for the Bahamas. With bellwether indicators up, many Americans will start taking vacations to more exotic places than the Bahamas. There will be a decline of stop-over visitors and probably cruise ship tourists. Unemployment will rise due to VAT effects showing up as well as more taxation for NHI. The government shows no sign of being able to control its deficit spending, and there is a very real threat of rating agency downgrade to junk status, making it totally impossible for the government to borrow money without high, high interest rates, if there are takers for its fiat bonds.

From an economics point of view, it really doesn't look good for the Bahamas, and no one in the government seems to give a damn.

The contrast is that the US government applied a stimulus that allowed the economy to rebound and expand. This included tax breaks that allowed businesses to hire more people. The US also allowed consumers to benefit from lower gas and energy prices. The Bahamian government not only increased taxes but introduced new taxes. There was little or no gas or energy relief and the VAT along with the huge leakage on the economy from the we shops has stifled the economy. Consumer spending in the US down because consumer confidence is down, simply because consumers are wiser and don't want to get caught like they did in 2008. Americans are saving. Bahamians, could not cut back on spending because the increase in taxes and other costs of living increases is eating up all their disposable income. The high unemployment rate is also not helping because two or three people are living of one income and/or tax dollars. If there is another big slump in the economy many Bahamians and even the government will not be able to meet their financial obligations. The main reason being that the government did not allow the economy to benefit from the natural recovery mechanisms that the US did

Many businesses are reporting that their sales for January 2016 are down by 7 - 40%. This is following a very lack luster Christmas sales.

Thats one of the scary things about Bahamas, More expenses, less and less jobs. No wonder crime is high and youth don't mind killing or dying o_0

so glad The Cove is doing this and hopefully all hotels will follow suit - put this industry out of business once and for all. they have done nothing to regulate themselves in all these years, in spite of the continuous complaints from residents and visitors, the increasing number of rapes, the number of deaths and accidents, and the countless near misses from reckless drivers (primarily the local operators) racing their jet skis 10 feet from shore. shut them down. no one comes here on holiday with the primary intention to ride them anyway.

We all know these actions are racially motivated. They don't want young , black men to earn an honest living,so they force them to a life of crime. And what ever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? The young m(black) man has not had his day in court yet. Just last week a young man in Chicago was released from jail after spending eight years for allegedly raping his neighbor. Then it's determined that it was all a dream. She (wet) dreamed she got rape and went to the police. Her neighbor went to jail for eight years.

"They don't want young , black men to earn an honest living" . Give me a break! It has been reported that there have been at least five such incidents in recent years. Atlantis are simply trying to protect their product. It is NOTHING to do with racism ALL to do with protecting their guests. If Hanna Martin and the FNM before her had been more pro-active in regulating the industry then we would not be in this position.