By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Abaco’s reliance on seasonal boaters continues to shape its economy, but with tourism numbers exceeding pre-Dorian levels, a local businessman says the island is poised for further growth — if key challenges can be addressed.

Emanuel “Manny” Alexiou, proprietor of the Abaco Beach Resort, says business on the island is “better than pre-Dorian” as most enterprises have rebuilt stronger in the six years since the devastating hurricane.

Speaking to Tribune Business, Mr Alexiou said the Abaco business community has largely recovered from Hurricane Dorian, with only a few exceptions, and is now facing new challenges unrelated to the storm.

“From our perspective, we’ve been up and running almost a year and a half out from Hurricane. Generally, business has been better than pre-Dorian. And I think most of Abaco’s is rebuilt, except for people that never took out insurance, and I don’t know what they’re going to do, but everybody that’s intending to build, I think has built,” said Mr Alexiou.

“The product is better as a result and I think we’re in a good in a good shape in that respect. There may be some tail winds because of the US economy and boating fees, but from the hurricane itself we have recovered. “

Despite the strong rebound, Mr Alexiou acknowledged that structural challenges still linger, particularly those that impact visitor experience and the ability of businesses to operate efficiently. He pointed to high air travel costs and utility inconsistencies as ongoing problems that need urgent attention.

“We need better airlift, less expensive airlift. Abaco needs utilities to be reliable. People are paying $500, $1,000 even $2,000 a night in some areas. They expect the AC to work and the Wi Fi to work, so utilities being reliable is very important,” said Mr Alexiou.

Another major concern is the cost of insurance — a persistent burden for property owners in a region increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events.

Mr Alexiou said reducing insurance costs would be a welcome relief, especially for business owners already contending with other rising expenses.

“The cost of insurance would be nice to go down and we need more places for workers to live. A lot of places have converted their places to Airbnb, so therefore there’s not enough housing for staff,” said Mr Alexiou.

The conversion of residential units into short-term vacation rentals has contributed to a housing shortage for hospitality workers, further complicating staffing and service delivery during the busier tourism months.

Adding to the complexity is Abaco’s highly seasonal tourism model, which depends heavily on boaters visiting during the spring and summer months.

He noted that the seasonal slump may be exacerbated by factors such as increased insurance premiums imposed by US-based companies on vessels traveling to the region — discouraging some boaters from making the trip during certain months.

“Abaco’s in particular, very much rely around boating in good weather, so you have reasonable business from April, May, June, July. Christmas to April is not too bad, but it’s dead, completely dead August, September, October,” said Mr Alexiou.

“It could be because of the extra insurance that US companies impose on many boats in this area, the blame could also be creating events to attract people to the Abaco’s in the off season. Why would I come in September or November?”

He suggested building an events calendar — even on a modest scale — could help boost visitation during the slower months and extend Abaco’s peak tourism season.

While the island may not have the scale or resources of Nassau, strategic planning and community involvement could help offset the seasonal drop-off and strengthen the overall tourism economy.

“Atlantis and other big hotels have managed to do that with sports events and music festivals and things like that. Little hard to do in the out islands you can’t bring over big names to attract tourists to come over but whatever we can do in terms of events that can bring people over to stretch the season.”