The point isn't the amount of the $200 fee. Of course that is negligible. The point is the hoops you have to go through, the phone lines at Immigration that never answer, the lack of transparency or timeline certainty, in other words it is a hindrance to doing business. Why should potential investors go through that headache when there are other, more progressive and less xenophobic jurisdictions that will welcome them with open arms.
The Bahamian labour force would not need any protection if we actually focused on improving it through seriously better education and encouraging seriously better work ethics. As long as we seek to protect our, on average, poor quality labour force from the realities of better educated and more motivated outsiders, the longer we will encourage the malaise. Work permits are the labour market equivalent of communism, which never creates efficiency or improvement. We need a free labour market where genuine competition will force us to pull our fingers out and start making the improvements we need to make.

Nice idea, but fear it will add to Bahamasair's inability to make ends meet.

So if Atlanta is only "USA based", where does the city of Atlanta spend the rest of its time when it's not in the USA? Does it go on holiday to the south of France, perhaps? Stupid is as stupid writes. And don't get me started on this ignorant use of the phrase "would have"...If you say "I would have done something", then that must logically be followed by an explanation of why you actually did NOT do it. I would have lived in Atlanta for a year, but I decided to stay home instead. D- average in action.

Thank goodness we do not generate nuclear electricity. BPL can barely keep regular gas turbines running. If the usual attitude of sloppy maintenance and union interference was applied to a nuclear facility, we would have a nuclear meltdown disaster within months of it being commissioned.

I wonder if "SP" is a real person, or just an account based at the Chinese embassy...SP= Sino-Propaganda?

One hour should be fine for domestic.

"I love the People's Republic of China"? I guess Mr. Sands doesn't value things like freedom of speech, freedom of association and democracy!

Maybe this is why the PLP ministers spend all their time in other countries, so they can enjoy good cell service…and they can make the Bahamian people pay their roaming charges, and their first class flights, and their five star hotels, and their Michelin star restaurant meals…sickening how these guys use the Public Treasury to finance their luxury joyrides all over the world. And now we hear the PM is in Saudi Arabia…guess he heard they had some really nice hotels and restaurants there. Mitchell is even worse, but the irony is that he hates foreigners in his own country, but loves nothing more than being in their countries, living life on the hog, smoking cigars and all the rest.

You should also apply to have their bank records revealed. This Committee has made a string of absurd decisions contrary to the interests of the communities that will be impacted. They ignored the most obvious truths. I cannot think what makes people with a little bit of power do completely absurd things other than getting paid off.

All of this opposition stinks. Atlantis simply doesn't want its guests to have any decent or familiar alternative to their hugely over-priced products where $30 for a starter and $70 for a main course is the norm! Imagine being able to feed a family of 6 for less than what it costs to feed just one person in most Atlantis restaurants. They should be in favour of more choices for their guests and be willing to compete by offering more reasonable choices.
The restaurants that Wendy's have opened in Nassau in recent years are the most attractive, sophisticated, architecturally innovative Wendy's restaurants anywhere in the world, and they actually lift up the charisma of the areas where they are situated. Rather than guests arriving at Atlantis seeing Wendy's and thinking, as was suggested by one opponent "OMG why have I spent my money to come to such a down market resort", they are more likely to think "wow, even the Wendy's here looks amazing". Not to mention that the only guests passing this site on their way to Atlantis will be the ones going to the Coral Towers, aka the least expensive part of Atlantis, and probably the people least able to afford the extortionate prices of the Atlantis restaurant offerings...they will be thinking "Thank goodness! We won't have to bankrupt ourselves every day just on feeding ourselves".