By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The deputy prime minister yesterday said downtown Nassau must “become the calling card of The Bahamas, not continue to be a point of national shame”

Chester Cooper, also minister of tourism, investments and aviation, told Bay Street property owners and landlords that there was “no need to reinvent the wheel” given the multiple studies that have been conducted over the decades on how to revive the city of Nassau.

Warning that “disinterest cannot translate into inaction”, he said: “If we cannot figure out how to entertain and attract millions of visitors to spend on their vacations with a safe, diverse dynamic and varied experience that changes and grows more interesting and more inviting over time, then we do not understand the business that we are in.

“Our city centre is no longer a hub for merchant ports. And it is no longer the epicentre of retail commerce it once was. But the fact remains that there is money to be made downtown for artists and artisans, for those directly in the tourism business, for existing property owners and many, many others.

“Downtown needs to become the calling card of The Bahamas, not continue to be a point of national shame.” Calling for “a sense of urgency”, Mr Cooper added: “As deputy prime minister, I am daily confronted with the issues: Maintaining the infrastructure, cleaning streets and sidewalks, improved signage, addressing poor lighting, the enhancement and enforcement of penal code as they relate to loitering, solicitation, illegal vendors and illicit activities.

“The Government intends to do its part. We will apply existing laws to manage downtown and introduce new ones where necessary to have it restored, kept clean and provide a unique experience for our visitors and Bahamians. Government will look at working with the Downtown Nassau Partnership (DNP) to establish a statutorily empowered PPP (private public partnership) entity to manage downtown.

“We have been meeting with cruise line partners to strongly emphasise the imperative to model exceptional partnerships to increase their calls on the port of Nassau, incentivise more passengers to come off vessels, work with the Tourism Development Corporation to enhance and support our tours and local offerings, which will largely result in increased visitor spend on shore and on Bay Street. They have given us their word,” Mr Cooper continued.

“We need you to repair your buildings and paint them. Revamp your store fronts. Ensure the removal of garbage. Adhere to signage guidelines and remedy derelict and abandoned buildings. We don’t need to wait. I urge you to act.”