By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

Downtown Nassau merchants and straw vendors yesterday urged the Government to focus on creating more activities for locals and tourists rather than attracting new hotels to the area.

Elizabeth “Pinky” Wilson-Robinson, owner of Pinky’s Unique World Of Straw, questioned which locations are being targeted after Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister and minister of tourism, aviation and investments, said “the Government has identified sites downtown, and one on Cable Beach, for new developments” in an attempt to “revive Bay Street nightlife”.

She added that the Government is likely targeting “mouldy” derelict, abandoned structures and, while she believes in getting rid of such buildings, she does not see the need for more hotels in downtown Nassau and believes the spaces should be given to Bahamian entrepreneurs.

“The only site I can see, and I know you can see it as well, is those mouldy buildings,” Ms Wilson-Robinson said. “...So if I’m passing a building and I’m coughing and scratching, it look like I have lice on the street, that’s because where I’m passing and inhaling. It’s a mouldy building. So that’s the only thing they have in sight.

“Those old structures what are there, but they’re not doing anything, and the owners are dead already or don’t want to fix it, don’t want to invest no money in it, only them they’re going to fix over to make hotels.

“Now, when we talking downtown, we’re going west as far as when you pass around The Pointe. There’s no more hotel to go there. There’s nothing you could put there. Why do it? There’s no parking, there’s no walking, there’s no nothing. Build up with stores, give other business places grants to build their stores, to build up restaurants, to put nightlife and stuff. Keep that going,” Ms Wilson-Robinson said. 

“That’s all left. You can’t put a hotel. You already have... all those who need help. Help them. They’re already there. Help them help themselves. And that would help the Bahamian people. Stop trying to do new stuff that makes no sense right now. Open up some restaurants. Do some nightlife. Have some place where entertainers could perform around the time persons come off the ships, come out the other hotels. Come there and enjoy it.”

Ms Wilson-Robinson said more hotels would help control how many vagrants roam Bay Street because there would be more “policing and security”. Noting the potential job opportunities that may become available to Bahamians, she also voiced concerns that any hotels may be all-inclusive and no traffic would be directed to her or other vendors in the Bay Street Straw Market.

Explaining that her concerns stems from the experience with the Nassau Cruise Port, Ms Wilson-Robinson said: “I’m not going to get a dollar from that. Because they’re going to channel all the things away from me. I’m not going to receive anything from that. Everything is going to be within the hotel. It’s going to be all inclusive, and it can be within there. Everybody’s going to be in there. Nobody’s going to come out for anything.”

Olivia Bain, owner of Heart and Home Design Studio, added that instead of more hotels the Government should strive towards filling downtown Nassau with more activities that both tourists and locals can enjoy. She suggested that more hotels be placed on the Family Islands where they are needed.

“I think we need more activities,” Ms Bain added. “I think the tourists and even just locals are bored, and we’re relying way too heavily on foreign income to keep our own economy afloat when people are looking for things to do. It’s not good in your own country that you don’t have things to do or, if there’s something new being developed, it’s not for you. It’s for someone who doesn’t even live here.

“We have 700 islands and cays. I am currently in Bimini right now on a work trip, and there’s a lot that can be done. Nassau is not the only island in the country, and we keep treating it as if it is. So when you have people who live on other islands who are not seeing income, because everyone is going to Nassau for everything, how are they supposed to survive?”

Businesses also expressed the need for more parking options, noting that downtown Nassau lacks parking, especially easily accessible parking.