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Bahamas: Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham Announced That Development Concessions Will Become Available To Bahamian Owners Of Businesses That Cater To Tourists
Related to country: Bahamas

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Gov’t To Provide Incentives For Businesses That Cater To Tourists:
By Kendea Jones -
Nassau, Bahamas:


While pointing to the challenges facing the Bahamian tourism product and outlining his government’s plans to address the problems, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham on Thursday announced that development concessions will become available to Bahamian owners of businesses that cater to tourists.

The prime minister, who spoke at the launch of National Tourism Week at the Wyndham Nassau Resort, said developers of retail outlets, restaurants and entertainment facilities catering to tourists both within and outside of traditional hotels will benefit.

"Such concessions might prove useful, for example, in convincing downtown merchants to better maintain their premises, to undertake periodic and regular maintenance and to upgrade their properties," Mr. Ingraham said.

He reiterated that the leakage of tourism revenues expended on tourism-related imports of goods that can be produced in The Bahamas at comparable quality and cost must be reduced.

Such an initiative presents many and varied opportunities for Bahamian entrepreneurship, Mr. Ingraham said.

As he did during his recent new year’s address to the nation, the prime minister said he has directed all government-sponsored funding programmes to focus the bulk of their support on programmes that principally seek to help Bahamian businesses take advantage of such linkages.

These programmes include The Bahamas Development Bank loans; Bahamas Agriculture and Industrial Corporation facilities; the Venture Capital Fund; the government-guarantee loan schemes, and the investment incentive programmes administered under laws such as the Industries Encouragement Act.

The prime minister also reiterated that his administration will restore the City of Nassau, which is considered by many observers to be congested, shabby and rundown.

Many distinctive shops that less than a decade ago graced Bay Street have become shadows of themselves, he noted.

"We will take care to maintain the essential characteristics of our capital city and preserve its heart," Mr. Ingraham assured.

"We will beautify the city, make it greener and greatly improve its appearance and ambience."

He said the government will complete the stalled and abandoned construction of the Nassau Street Magistrate’s Court House and the Registrar General’s office on Market Street, and will construct a new Supreme Court.

As well, he said, some government buildings have sat condemned in the City of Nassau for a number of years.

The government will restore or demolish the Adderley Building and the Rodney Bain Building, Mr. Ingraham said.

"Complementary to works to improve the Harbour we will continue the upgrade of Woodes Rodgers Wharf and extend it eastward to at least Victoria Avenue if not Armstrong Street. This will provide an alternative east to west throughway relieving traffic on Bay Street in the city-centre," he said.

"We will also complete the paving of roads and junctions in our city centre including the replacement of the asphalt road with cobble stones extending from Rawson Square to the Hilton British Colonial Hotel setting the stage for the introduction of pedestrian only sections along Bay Street.

"We will repair and upgrade the old customs warehouses on Prince George Dock transforming them into an authentic Bahamian Crafts Market."

The prime minister also said the government will demolish the old customs building on Arawak Cay.

"This will enhance the entrance to our city centre," he said.

The prime minister said his government will also expand the Potter’s Cay dock.

"Associated with improved town planning will be a systematic programme to identify, label and clear all public beach access in New Providence," he added.

The prime minister said the government will also focus its attention on promoting heritage and cultural tourism.

"Our planned programme to restore heritage sites, sponsor cultural festivals and increase support for linkages with our main industry will ensure the further growth in diversity of our tourist product," Mr. Ingraham said.

"Identifying, restoring, and stabilizing heritage sites will ensure that they serve as permanent attractions for residents and visitors for years to come."

Mr. Ingraham said increasingly, over the past decade, other competitive warm vacation destinations have come to full maturity in the central and eastern Caribbean increasing the number of destinations seeking a piece of the regional tourism pie.

While in recent times worldwide tourism has increased by 7 percent, the Caribbean tourism pie only grew by 1 percent, and, of that increase Cuba and the Dominican Republic attracted some 60 percent, the prime minister also pointed out.

"Our task is not rocket science; in many instances, it is simple common sense. Our destination must be: clean, friendly, safe, efficient, cost effective, interesting and

diverse," he said.

Mr. Ingraham said The Bahamas is a high-cost destination, especially in terms of utilities and services and there has been insufficient attention to product development, upkeep and enhancement.

"What we need to do now is to arrest the slippage of recent years and to begin a national effort to take back our rightful place on the regional tourism landscape," the prime minister added.


1 February 2008

February 1, 2008 | 7:52 PM Comments  0 comments

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