By Annelia Nixon

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

Abaco resorts and marinas yesterday revealed that they are receiving increasing warnings from tourists that they will not return due to the new and increased boating fees imposed in he 2025-2026 Budget.

Molly McIntosh, the Bluff House Beach Resort and Marina’s top executive, told Tribune Business that at the recent Fort Lauderdale Boat Show some 20 persons informed her that the increased fees will deter them from visiting The Bahamas. She added that other Bahamian resorts and marinas received the same feedback.

“So I did go to the boat show over in Fort Lauderdale,” Ms McIntosh said. “I just came back from there. I got a lot of people, boaters, concerned about the raising of the cruising permit fees and the changes in the laws and things. And it's hurting us, and I think it'll have an effect.

“But I did still get people there. So people are still going to come, I do think. A lot of the regulars are still going to come. But I worked the show for four days, and I probably got 20 people that came by and said, 'I'm never coming to The Bahamas again because of the fees’.

“And that wasn't just me. There was a Ministry of Tourism booth, and there were ten other properties besides mine that were working the booth. Bahamasair was there, and I think about six members of The Bahamas Tourist Board and Abaco Tourist Board were represented there, too... So they all heard the same thing. And while I don't think it's going to stop the business, I think it's going to have an effect in certain areas more than others.”

Daphne DeGregory-Miaoulis, Abaco’s former Chamber of Commerce president and her husband, Nick Miaoulis, who run Abaco Neem Farm, a popular tourist destination for boaters, said they have seen the impact from the altered cruising permit fees, as well as the new anchorage and fishing permit fees.

“We can see an increase in boating fees, but a gradual increase,” Mr Miaoulis said. “Not from one extreme to the other. And it has had a negative domino effect over here. It certainly has. People that provide provisions, people that clean the bottom of boats, people in that industry period, the restaurants, the mom and pop restaurants, it has had a negative domino effect, even affecting the taxi drivers.

“We are not particularly the business that you would immediately think of being impacted by boating fees. But the point I think is that the reduction of boaters coming to the country impacts all of us in a similar way... Anything that affects the volume of visitors that are coming to the country will impact all of our businesses.” 

Mrs DeGregory-Miaoulis said if the downward trend continues “it could become significant”. “We see it with our own business,” Mr Miaoulis added. “Drivers bring boaters out to our farm. They can be power boaters, they can be sail boaters. We haven't had any. None. Normally by this time, we've done at least maybe nine or 12 tours. We haven't had any since the season opened up.”

Mrs DeGregory-Miaoulis agreed that while their farm has a following among the boating community, the reduction in arrivals can be felt.  

“We're a totally off-grid, organic farm which people like to come and see,” Mrs DeGregory-Miaouliss said. “We make health and body products. They like to come and see where the trees are grown. We have over 130, I think, a variety of fruit and flowering trees. So it's like a little botanic garden as well as a Neem forest.

“So they learn about the native trees. They learn about native fruits, which they can't find in the supermarkets or their hotels or anywhere... So you know, these are all experiences that the people who are attracted to the Family Islands are looking to have with locals because they're not looking for the casinos and the high night-life and all of that.

“We have a good following from the boating community, but not just from the boating community. We have visitors who come from everywhere. But because there's a reduction in the boating arrivals, we feel it the same way we would feel with the air arrivals or any other avenue.”