{"id":17152,"date":"2012-01-23T09:14:11","date_gmt":"2012-01-23T14:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/?p=17152"},"modified":"2012-01-23T10:56:21","modified_gmt":"2012-01-23T15:56:21","slug":"pms-opening-remarks-at-caribbean-marketplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/2012\/01\/pms-opening-remarks-at-caribbean-marketplace","title":{"rendered":"PM’s Opening Remarks At Caribbean Marketplace"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remarks by Hubert A. Ingraham Prime Minister Commonwealth Of The Bahamas
\nCaribbean Hotel Tourism Association Marketplace Opening Ceremony
\n22 January 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Prime minister Ingraham speaking at Caribbean Marketplace (photo: NG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is my great pleasure to welcome you back to The Bahamas, and to Nassau and Paradise Island.\u00a0 I trust that by now my greeting is simply the formal expression of the warm reception and careful attention you have already experienced. We are always happy to embrace opportunities that gather colleagues and partners from throughout the region and around the world in The Bahamas.<\/p>\n

2012 is a year of notable anniversaries for the tourism sector. It is the 50th anniversary of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, and I congratulate you as you celebrate this significant milestone.
\nOur Bahamas Hotel Association, soon to be formally named the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association, is one of the founding members of the original Caribbean Hotel Association.\u00a0 It celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.<\/p>\n

This year is also the 30th anniversary of Caribbean Marketplace.\u00a0 I am reminded that our very own George Myers was instrumental in its creation, hosting, along with our Ministry of Tourism, a number of the early Marketplace events.<\/p>\n

At this year\u2019s Marketplace, I am advised that you expect one of the best turnouts ever of buyers and sellers.\u00a0 This includes some 679 representatives of \u2018supplier\u2019 companies: hotels, attractions, destination management companies, tourism groups and transportation companies.<\/p>\n

It also includes 331 individuals representing buyers: tour operators, wholesalers and online intermediaries.\u00a0 These are encouraging numbers.\u00a0 And, of course, we are always happy to have representatives from the regional and international press in attendance.<\/p>\n

We begin 2012 with the hope that this year will mark a distinct point of recovery and return to sustained growth for tourism in our region.<\/p>\n

We believe that early signs of improvement are evident. In The Bahamas, we saw a robust uptick in arrivals since November last.\u00a0 By a number of measures, this past December was particularly good for the 14 major Nassau and Paradise Island hotels.<\/p>\n

For the second year in a row since the Great Recession room occupancies, average daily rates and room rates were up last year.\u00a0 Perhaps most encouraging has been that visitors are spending longer periods with us and reporting improved levels of customer satisfaction.<\/p>\n

Some of this is the result, we believe, of aggressive action to revamp our product during the slowdown so as to be better prepared to benefit from the recovery as it occurs.<\/p>\n

Here in The Bahamas we are focused upon ensuring our readiness for the inevitable global economic recovery as it occurs.\u00a0 Our economy is therefore the beneficiary of the most comprehensive upgrade and expansion in our history.<\/p>\n

I am sure that upon arrival many of you took note of the major redevelopment which is underway at the Lynden Pindling International Airport \u2013 part of a $410 million three-phased upgrade and expansion project.\u00a0 The first phase, a new US Departure Terminal, was completed and opened last March. The second phase is moving toward an on-schedule completion in October.\u00a0 The complete redevelopment should be fully open and operational by December, 2013.<\/p>\n

Those of you departing Nassau for a US destination will experience firsthand what might arguably be described as the most visitor-friendly terminal in the region.<\/p>\n

On your travels from the airport to your hotel, I am sure you also noted rather extensive road works underway.\u00a0 The four-lane Airport Gateway together with other road construction will make travel from the airport to our tourism centres in Cable Beach and here on Paradise Island more pleasant.<\/p>\n

The new Gateway will reduce overall traffic congestion on this small and increasingly heavily populated city.\u00a0 Great care is being taken to preserve and enhance the landscape, including vistas to wetlands and, of course, to the sea.<\/p>\n

Other infrastructural developments are being undertaken simultaneously with our road works.\u00a0 This includes the installation of underground utility corridors meant to significantly improve the quality and reliability of critical utilities \u2013 water, electricity and communications.\u00a0 It is our goal to make New Providence Island, the seat of our capital city, a modern, efficient, environmentally friendly place in which to live, work and enjoy recreation.<\/p>\n

Our infrastructural improvement campaign has had a double benefit.\u00a0 We are putting in place critical infrastructure that will have long term value. Secondly, we are creating employment and business opportunities during recessionary times.\u00a0 This has off-set some of the fall-off in private sector activity.<\/p>\n

Last year we completed a lengthy and sometimes difficult privatisation of the government-owned telecommunications monopoly.\u00a0 We are already experiencing some of the enhanced services which are expected as a result of access to improved technologies and larger economies of scale.<\/p>\n

Investment has not been restricted to the public sector during this difficult economic period.\u00a0 Many of you have seen the mega Baha Mar resort redevelopment underway in Cable Beach.\u00a0 The transformation of Cable Beach promises to add another dimension to what we have to offer visitors to our island beginning in 2014.<\/p>\n

Additional public and private sector investments are coming together to spur on the revitalization of our historic City of Nassau.\u00a0 Our harbour has been deepened facilitating the berthing in Nassau harbour of the largest passenger cruise ships travelling the seas today.<\/p>\n

It is important to note that the $52 million dredging project was repaid from incremental cruise passenger taxes in just two years.\u00a0 And, the incremental spending by new cruise passengers alone exceeds $40 million per year.<\/p>\n

Nassau\u2019s historic Straw Market, destroyed by fire in 2001, was rebuilt and reopened just last month.\u00a0 And the dredging of our harbour produced the material needed to expand cargo port facilities at Arawak Cay just outside our city centre.\u00a0 The removal of commercial cargo traffic from the city will further enhance the ambiance of Nassau.<\/p>\n

And so, while not wishing to distract you from important business opportunities at this Marketplace, I do want to encourage you to take some time to visit and shop in our new Straw Market.\u00a0 We are proud of it and believe that you will find there excellent examples of authentically-Bahamian craft.<\/p>\n

This essential work in the downtown area is being accomplished through strong partnership between the public and private sectors.\u00a0 We have a renewed appreciation for this partnership; and the trend of rebranding hotel associations as hotel and tourism associations hints at a new-found appreciation for wider partnerships beyond hotels and throughout the region.<\/p>\n

Our private-public sector collaboration is further reflected in the new Tourism Centre scheduled to be formally opened in short order.\u00a0 It will house both the Ministry of Tourism & Aviation and a number of private sector organizations (Promotion Boards, Hotel Employers Association) with which the Ministry of Tourism works so closely on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

We are undertaking additional infrastructural developments around our Family of Islands to ensure that each of our varied destinations is well-positioned to benefit from the turn-around in the global economy as it occurs.<\/p>\n

Electricity and water supplies have been upgraded in several of our islands notably in Abaco, Bimini, Harbour Island, Eleuthera, and Long Island.\u00a0 A new airport terminal in Abaco, replacement bridges in Andros and the repair and upgrade of docks and roads are all being undertaken in our Family Islands including restoration work following the damage suffered as a result of Hurricane Irene last year.<\/p>\n

We continue to see the investment in people and the continued building of relationships as the key to sustained growth.\u00a0 In The Bahamas, we have placed considerable emphasis on improving the visitor\u2019s experience through investing in Bahamians.<\/p>\n

Two of the enduring programs of the Ministry of Tourism \u2013 the BahamaHost training program for the tourism industry and the People-to-People cultural exchange program for visitors \u2013 have been tremendously improved.<\/p>\n

These programs provide avenues through which our guests are touched on a personal level, increasing the emotional bond with our country and encouraging them to continue to recommend a Bahamas experience to their friends and relatives.<\/p>\n

I would like to thank the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, the Bahamas Hotel Association, the Promotion Boards and Atlantis for organizing what promises to be a first-class event conducive of a successful buying and selling environment.<\/p>\n

I extend every best wish for a successful Marketplace.\u00a0 We look forward to seeing the region reap substantial rewards through the hard work you will do here and in the year ahead.<\/p>\n

I should like to close by thanking the Hon. Vincent Vanderpool Wallace for his extraordinary hard work, creativity and energy.\u00a0 We are most grateful to him.<\/p>\n

Again, welcome back to The Bahamas. I thank you.\u00a0 Good evening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Remarks by Hubert A. Ingraham Prime Minister Commonwealth Of The Bahamas
\nCaribbean Hotel Tourism Association Marketplace Opening Ceremony<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10223285771444175_51037792744":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[25,33],"class_list":["post-17152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinions","tag-hotels","tag-tourism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17152\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}