bahamiangoddess
10-23-07, - 03:50 AM
Norwegian may win concessions
Oct 22nd, 2007
By VERNON CLEMENT JONES, Senior Business Reporter
vernon@nasguard.com
A Ministry of Tourism deal to bring Norwegian Cruise Line back to a depressed Grand Bahama may ultimately set a dangerous precedent for the destination's stopover business with onboard casinos and entertainment centers in direct competition with island offerings.
"As with other vessels, restaurants (on the Norwegian cruise ship) will continue to remain open," said Carla Stuart, director of cruise development for the ministry, on Friday. "With respect to other entertainment, unfortunately, we can not discuss at this time, currently, these matters are still being finalized and negotiated."
The outcome of those final talks could see Norwegian's entertainment centers lit up like Christmas trees even while in Freeport. That would compromise a large chunk of the $540,000 Grand Bahama stands to rake in during the first year of Norwegian's return to the destination.
Earlier this month the cruise company announced it would again add Grand Bahama to its itinerary in this country, starting this Nov.
The move is set to bring 9,000 passengers to the island by the end of 2008, each spending an average $60 in the process. Further growth in business for the country as a whole also hangs in the balance as Norwegian looks at limiting its offerings in the Caribbean – including winter crossings from New York — to The Bahamas.
Unlike in Nassau, one of its two current stops in this country (the other being its private island Stirrup Cay), Norwegian hasn't yet agreed to pull the plug on the its two Broadway-style shows, its Second City comedy performance and its casino while in Freeport's harbor.
A spokeswoman for the cruise lines confirmed that the company does indeed do just that while in Nassau's harbor, effectively encouraging thousands of passengers to venture off board and into the clubs, hotels and tour vans vying for their business.
Those arrangements have generally been the result of hard negotiating on the part of Stuart and her colleagues. The Ministry has resisted cruise industry attempts to widen in-port offerings of ships. That would buoy cruise line profits by increasing their casino takings and the billable services not included in the standard cruise fare.
Ironically, the group that stands to benefit most from forcing those passengers off ship and into Freeport may ultimately catch the blame if the Ministry opts to extend Norwegian greater concessions for its entertainment.
Last week, Freeport's taxi cab union — representing some 60 members — said it will fight any effort either by Stuart's ministry or Norwegian, itself, to liberalize the business of shuttling cruise ship passengers from the commercial port into town.
The government agency, in fact, hosted a town meeting last week to encourage the union to loosen what one official calls its "monopolistic" hold on the transportation of cruise passengers. The 15 to 20 minute drive dividing Freeport's commercial port from the Grand Bahama's tourism hub — Lucaya — mandates those passengers hire some form of ground transportation.
Historically that's been taxi vans, seating upwards of nine passengers at a stretch. With more than a thousand visitors coming ashore, that method has been called inefficient by cruise ship and Tourism officials, alike. Given the disrepair of many of the island's taxi vans, those same critics charge that tourists are less than impressed, a negative perception threatening repeat business for a destination routinely rated as lackluster.
They have called for tour buses to join the taxi queue, those big people-movers speeding up transport and reducing wait times for passengers, who might otherwise opt to stay on board rather that stand in long lines.
That argument has failed to win over the union.
"We need to and will protect the cruise ship business for our members," said Kenneth Woodside, its president. "Any move to take that business away and give it to the 10 or 12 tour operators in Grand Bahama, then you'd have a very disgruntled population here.
"We're going to be watching NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) like a watchdog to make sure that business doesn't go away."
The comments are the exact opposite of what the Ministry of Tourism had hoped hear from Woodside and may provide it with an excuse to acquiese to Norwegian requests.
If that decision is made, the economic boon Minister of Tourism Neko Grant suggested would float Grand Bahama's way may begin to a take on water.
Oct 22nd, 2007
By VERNON CLEMENT JONES, Senior Business Reporter
vernon@nasguard.com
A Ministry of Tourism deal to bring Norwegian Cruise Line back to a depressed Grand Bahama may ultimately set a dangerous precedent for the destination's stopover business with onboard casinos and entertainment centers in direct competition with island offerings.
"As with other vessels, restaurants (on the Norwegian cruise ship) will continue to remain open," said Carla Stuart, director of cruise development for the ministry, on Friday. "With respect to other entertainment, unfortunately, we can not discuss at this time, currently, these matters are still being finalized and negotiated."
The outcome of those final talks could see Norwegian's entertainment centers lit up like Christmas trees even while in Freeport. That would compromise a large chunk of the $540,000 Grand Bahama stands to rake in during the first year of Norwegian's return to the destination.
Earlier this month the cruise company announced it would again add Grand Bahama to its itinerary in this country, starting this Nov.
The move is set to bring 9,000 passengers to the island by the end of 2008, each spending an average $60 in the process. Further growth in business for the country as a whole also hangs in the balance as Norwegian looks at limiting its offerings in the Caribbean – including winter crossings from New York — to The Bahamas.
Unlike in Nassau, one of its two current stops in this country (the other being its private island Stirrup Cay), Norwegian hasn't yet agreed to pull the plug on the its two Broadway-style shows, its Second City comedy performance and its casino while in Freeport's harbor.
A spokeswoman for the cruise lines confirmed that the company does indeed do just that while in Nassau's harbor, effectively encouraging thousands of passengers to venture off board and into the clubs, hotels and tour vans vying for their business.
Those arrangements have generally been the result of hard negotiating on the part of Stuart and her colleagues. The Ministry has resisted cruise industry attempts to widen in-port offerings of ships. That would buoy cruise line profits by increasing their casino takings and the billable services not included in the standard cruise fare.
Ironically, the group that stands to benefit most from forcing those passengers off ship and into Freeport may ultimately catch the blame if the Ministry opts to extend Norwegian greater concessions for its entertainment.
Last week, Freeport's taxi cab union — representing some 60 members — said it will fight any effort either by Stuart's ministry or Norwegian, itself, to liberalize the business of shuttling cruise ship passengers from the commercial port into town.
The government agency, in fact, hosted a town meeting last week to encourage the union to loosen what one official calls its "monopolistic" hold on the transportation of cruise passengers. The 15 to 20 minute drive dividing Freeport's commercial port from the Grand Bahama's tourism hub — Lucaya — mandates those passengers hire some form of ground transportation.
Historically that's been taxi vans, seating upwards of nine passengers at a stretch. With more than a thousand visitors coming ashore, that method has been called inefficient by cruise ship and Tourism officials, alike. Given the disrepair of many of the island's taxi vans, those same critics charge that tourists are less than impressed, a negative perception threatening repeat business for a destination routinely rated as lackluster.
They have called for tour buses to join the taxi queue, those big people-movers speeding up transport and reducing wait times for passengers, who might otherwise opt to stay on board rather that stand in long lines.
That argument has failed to win over the union.
"We need to and will protect the cruise ship business for our members," said Kenneth Woodside, its president. "Any move to take that business away and give it to the 10 or 12 tour operators in Grand Bahama, then you'd have a very disgruntled population here.
"We're going to be watching NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) like a watchdog to make sure that business doesn't go away."
The comments are the exact opposite of what the Ministry of Tourism had hoped hear from Woodside and may provide it with an excuse to acquiese to Norwegian requests.
If that decision is made, the economic boon Minister of Tourism Neko Grant suggested would float Grand Bahama's way may begin to a take on water.