By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

Bimini businesses yesterday shrugged off Flamingo Air’s increase in ticket prices to the island as commerce is “booming” and there are multiple other transportation means available.

Ashley Saunders, owner of the Dolphin House museum, said: “Earlier this morning, there was a great load of people in front of my door and then people are here even before I open. So, you know, everybody’s making money in Bimini.

“I don’t think anybody could complain. I mean, everybody can make a dollar if they really want to. You could come over there and sell a conch shell or coconut and make money. That’s how good the business is down here.”

Mr Saunders said many Biminites travel to Freeport for medical services, and the rise in travel costs to that destination as a result of Flamingo Air’s air fare hikes “is a little steep because, you know, a lot of us from Bimini go to Freeport to see the doctor or see the dentist. So when you’re going for medical reasons, every dollar counts.

“A lot of vendors go to Freeport just to shop; the straw vendors, to pick up the merchandise from Freeport. So most of the people who travel to Freeport are either going to be straw vendors, some business people going to shop for merchandise, or else going for medical reasons. We have students in Freeport, too. A lot of kids here from Bimini going to school in Freeport. So now, you know, they got to pay the ticket.”

Mr Saunders added that the cruise ships, Carnival in particular, and the mailboat bring in more tourists than the airlines so he therefore does not see Flamingo Air negatively impacting business.

“Every time the Carnival is in, it gets really busy because Carnival is like, you can call it a money ship in a sense, because they bring more business and more activity than the other cruise boats,” he added. “The visitors, they rent golf carts and they catch taxis and they get bicycles. And then they patronise the straw market and the Dolphin House and all the local businesses, like the conch salad stands and the deli.

“Tourists who come in on flights also spend money, but it don’t be as many people arriving on flights like you do the cruise boats. So there is some activity by the people who arrive by airlines, but then that’s only a handful compared to the cruise boats. You know, the cruise boat bring thousands of people.”

Janay kemp, owner of 700 Adventures, a sightseeing company, said business is good and she does not see that changing with the increase in air fares Flamingo Air. “A lot of our visitors are coming from the US,” she said. “So Flamingo, their raising prices isn’t really affecting our overall business.”