By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

Harbour Island hoteliers yesterday voiced optimism that the destination remains safe and attractive for tourists despite the spike in violent crime.

Several resort operators told Tribune Business that, despite the recent murder and other crimes, these were “isolated” and rare incidents as Brilanders understand and “respect” what tourism means to the economy.

However, Lee Prosenjak, Valentines Resort and Marina’s managing director, said he’s “super nervous” about the impact crime could have on the island’s tourism industry, adding that Bahamians must recognise that tourists underwrite Harbour Island’s economy.

“I think it’s two things,” Mr Prosenjak said. “One is the realisation that everyone is affected by tourism. Everything that happens affects tourism on this island, and that’s everyone’s livelihood, whether or not they work at a hotel. If you do work at one of the other great businesses on this island, it’s all about us delivering people here to have an experience.

“So if we don’t have tourists here, that’s a big deal - that’s an issue. And so everyone needs to know that no matter what, if you live on this island, you’re in the tourism industry. So less people is less money for everyone. And that’s not a good thing. Less safety and security for tourists is less safety and security for everyone.”

Pointing to crime occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic and a year ago, Mr Prosenjak said in the past he has had to calm worried tourists who questioned safety on the island. He said the recent crimes may result in similar concerns.

“We had some crime a year ago where someone else was killed, and it was a lot,” he recalled. “There were a lot of repercussions in the industry. A lot of people calling to say, ‘Hey, is it safe? Are you sure it’s okay? I’m not sure I want to bring my family there.’

“So I did a lot of calming down of people, of tourists, last year when that happened. So I expect a similar thing, seeing that we had a shooting two weeks ago, where thankfully no one was seriously injured, but sure could have been, and this time someone was murdered, and then another injury, too.

“This is what I said last time, too; it wasn’t in a tourist area. It wasn’t a place where you’re normally going to be hanging out and it was local people against local people. So it wasn’t a, ‘We’re going steal a tourist’s wallet while they walked away from their beach chair’ or something like that,” Mr Prosenjak said.

“That’s how I did it last time, was to say, ‘Nope, your 15 year-old isn’t going to be hanging out there and they’re not looking to go after you or anything like that.’ That’s not a thing. But, I mean, the more crime there is, the harder that is to say, right?  What I want is for the behaviour to change. That’s the second point of this. I don’t care if there’s stricter laws against crime or anything like that. I want the behaviour to change.”

With crime sparking fear among locals, Mr Prosenjak added that this may also prevent economic growth if tourists feel safer remaining on resort grounds versus exploring and supporting other local businesses.

“Everything impacts tourism,” he said. “So this wasn’t in a tourist area, or this wasn’t against a tourist. OK. But it’s impacting the tourism. I don’t know that we’ll see someone who is booked to come in to the island today, I don’t think they’re going to cancel their trip. But it is going to impact.

“Are they going to go out to Gusty’s [Bar] tonight? Maybe not. So they’re going to be much more closed with their wallet in terms of going out and funding around the island. They might stay on the resort grounds, rather than venture out as much, which is bad for our local businesses. 

“And the people that haven’t booked yet are the ones that are probably more susceptible to say, ‘You know what? Maybe we’ll go somewhere else.’ Or nothing’s going to happen to us at Baha Mar, so let’s just go there instead’,” he added.

“We are a tiny island. We’ve got a small property in Valentines. If you’re here, you’re going elsewhere. We don’t see people eat breakfast, lunch and dinner here. They’re going out to the other restaurants on the island. They’re going to The Landing, they’re going to Ocean View Club.”

Ernest McPhee, general manager of Runaway Hill Inn, added: “Usually, when things like this happen, the guests start to call and start to ask questions.” He said he would expect guests to call and inquire again due to recent events, but asserted that he is confident in the police stationed on Harbour Island.

“I’ll tell you that more police are on the ground just walking through the community,” Mr McPhee said. “Police are walking the streets. They’re on the ferries. So it is like a sense of safety. I don’t think this is something that’s going to continue. And it seems like the police on the island, they are taking it serious and they’re addressing it. So moving forward, I don’t see any issues escalating or getting more serious.

“On the hotel side, most of the hotels, we have security on property. I have security on property. Our property is monitored 24/7 with my team here. The guests have my direct line. If they see something, they could call me directly as the general manager, and we have a good relationship with the community. And like I said, even though things might be happening, it’s happening on a more local level. 

“Persons in the community, they know what tourism brings to the island. They respect the hotel premises. They respect the guests. They love the guests. Most of these guests have been coming for years. Some of them been coming 30, 40, years. So they know persons on the island,” Mr McPhee continued.

“Some of them might even know the persons involved in these crimes and these issues that we’re having now. They know families… In terms of locally, there’s a certain like I say, respect for the tourism industry and tourism, knowing that this is where we get our bread and butter from. So I don’t think it’s going to affect tourism. 

“From the Government side, I think the Government just needs to support the police because they’re doing a great job and they’re pushing. If they need resources, whether it be financial or more vehicles, or anything like that. Definitely, I think the Government needs to support them in that way. Keep in mind that I’m on Harbour Island, but if you think about Eleuthera in general, it’s a huge island, the longest in The Bahamas.”

Henry Rolle, managing partner of The Rock House, agreed, adding: “This season was supposed to be a lot slower than it is. But most places are reporting record numbers. There’s still issues happening on the island. A lot of issues that we wish weren’t happening again.

“Like I said, the police, they are reacting. I’m not fully aware of any plans they have in place in terms of preventative measures. The one thing that I know that they have been doing is just having meetings with local businesses, listening to concerns, trying to address them.”