By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Grand Lucayan hotel and Grand Bahama International Airport are vital assets that cannot work without each other to revive the island’s dormant tourism product.

Grand Bahama businesses say both need to be opened simultaneously for tourism to work on the island, for “if no persons coming then it is pointless” to reopen the resort.

Alfredo Bridgewater, owner/operator of Coco Nutz, told Tribune Business that his business - located not too far from the Grand Lucayan - is depending on the resort’s long-pending sale to the ITM Group/Royal Caribbean joint venture to be completed soon.

He said: “I hope something can go through with it. I’m really banking on some investment, and I’m hoping something to do with the airport would come on stream because that is affecting the rooms and the occupancy, which directly affects my business. I hope both sides can work it out but I understand with COVID-19 and money.”

Noting that Port Lucaya is a “ghost town” without any Grand Lucayan guests, Mr Bridgewater added: “The hotel is vitally important to businesses in the Port Lucaya area. The cruise ships slowed and the Grand Lucaya was only at 30 percent capacity, and they only had a few guests in, but even that was good, so I was really looking forward to them reopening fully.”

Tenisha Carey, owner/operator of Baha Gala, added: “There’s been so much up and down information, and we don’t know what to believe. We can’t confirm what we don’t know. I think it’s a touch and go situation.

“I think we just want it to to be done and somebody make a purchase and do something with it. Every time we hear that somebody is purchasing, and we don’t have any relief. We just want to see it happen.”

While there is “nothing wrong” with the Grand Lucayan property in Ms Carey’s estimation, she feels the absence of properly functioning airport is deterring investors from looking at Grand Bahama as a viable tourism option. “I think if we can get enough airlift, and enough flights to get heads in beds, it would be OK,” she added.

“It’s one thing to go ahead and create this beautiful resort, but if they have no persons coming on the island then it’s pointless. It’s a double-edged sword. Persons aren’t coming into the island because we don’t have any beds to place them in because we don’t have enough hotels open.”

“That’s why we were happy with Royal Caribbean because we know that they had alliances with aircraft and, of course, cruise ships, so it made sense. The Government can take over the Grand Lucayan again, but we are going to need heads in beds and tourists coming in like Nassau. We need flights coming in. There is no sense putting up a hotel and we don’t have flights coming in.”

Another Grand Bahama business owner, who spoke to Tribune Business under condition of anonymity, said: “This Grand Lucayan deal has been really disappointing. I honestly stopped following the story because it has been delayed so many times by the previous government, and now the new government seems to be as lost as the previous one on this.

“Breaking the arrangement with Royal Caribbean is not what anyone in Grand Bahama wants to hear right now. That’s for sure. I know we don’t want the Government back in charge of it either.”