Category Archives: Bahamas

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The DNAs leader yesterday urged the Bahamas to up its tourism game as a result of Norwegian Cruise Lines decision to divert 25 sailings to Cuba, warning: If thats not an eye opener, I dont know what is.

Branville McCartney told Tribune Business that the Bahamas was already out of time to prepare for Cubas opening to mass market US tourism, with the cruise lines move another warning sign to this nation.

Arguing that this nation should have been ready yesterday, Mr McCartney said the Bahamas had failed to address weaknesses he had identified almost a decade ago while minister of state for tourism in the former Ingraham administration.

Apart from crime, high costs, cleanliness and service, the DNA leader added that the Bahamas also need to improve on the product itself, suggesting it had failed to incorporate its own culture into tourisms offerings and give it a distinctly Bahamian flavour.

Mr McCartney said there were enough tourists to go around to blunt the impact of Cubas potential US opening up, but this depended on the Bahamas getting it right.

Responding to Norwegians decision to switch 25 four-day cruises to an overnight stop in Havana, eliminating calls on Nassau and Freeport during the 2017 second half, the DNA leader told Tribune Business: If thats not an eye opener for us as a country, I dont see anything else being so. But the Minister of Tourism almost brushed it off.

The bottom line is that we have to recognise that Cuba is in the tourist market. They are getting more tourists than us now, and the fact they are now more open will cause more tourists to go there to experience Cuba. We have to up our game in the Bahamas.

Tribune Business revealed Norwegians decision to switch the 25 cruises from Nassau and Freeport, to Havana, last week, in a bid to both alert Bahamians to the increasing competitive threat posed by Cuba and the potential for other cruise lines to follow its lead.

Mr McCartney said the challenge presented by Cuba had been exacerbated because the Bahamas had failed to address weaknesses he had identified in his last speech as minister of state for tourism.

I said we will continue to lose our place in the tourist market if we dont clean up crime; reduce our rates, as its too expensive to come here; if we dont ensure we have a clean environment, the DNA leader told Tribune Business.

Look at how dirty we are. Every time you drive to the airport you see the KFC boxes dumped by the sides of the road.

We must also improve our service. We must realise that we are not doing the tourists a favour by serving them. They are doing is a favour by coming here and spending money in our economy. Our service has to improve.

Agreeing that other cruise lines may now follow Norwegians trail to Cuba, Mr McCartney emphasised: We must get our act together. We must also improve on the product itself.

What do we have to offer? We have sun, sand and sea. So does Cuba. Weve had the same tourism product since the 1960s and not enhanced it.

Norwegian Cruise Lines talked up Cuba, and Havanas, cultural, historic and other attractions in the statement announcing its 25 cruise-switch. With Cuba having been closed for more than 50 years, many Americans are likely to be attracted to the prospect of exploring a new destination.

Asked how much time the Bahamas has left to prepare for Cubas growing threat, Mr McCartney added: The time has gone already. We are always reactionary as a people, and probably more so as a government.

The time was yesterday when we needed to start working on this thing. Were out of time. We needed to start yesterday.

Still, the DNA leader acknowledged that where Cuba was concerned, all was not lost for the Bahamas yet.

If we get it right, theres enough tourists to go around, Mr McCartney added. But we need to get it right. The Bahamas is unique in itself, and if we get it right we will cause people to come here.

We have our culture, which no one else has, and we ought to enhance it through tourism.

Mr McCartney added that the Bahamas also needed to target niches such as sports, medical and religious tourism, strategies that have been adopted by successive PLP and FNM administrations in the past.

We need to get on it, and get on it quickly, he reiterated of the Bahamas weaknesses. Getting here should not be so expensive. The cost of living is a turn-off for people.

Its less expensive to go to Miami from Nassau than it is to go from here to the Family Islands. Keeping our country clean and the service. These things must be acted upon.

Mr McCartney added that crime is already killing our tourism product, with cruise lines warning passengers about the dangers of Nassau and to avoid certain areas, and the US Embassy issuing numerous warnings.

Obie Wilchcombe, minister of tourism, lambasted Tribune Businesss revelation about Norwegian Cruise Lines switch to Cuba, saying it did a disservice to all the work the Bahamas was doing to enhance its cruise tourism product.

Mr Wilchcombe referred, in particular, to the investment by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) at Ocean Cay, and Carnivals upcoming cruise port in east Grand Bahama, as evidence of the Bahamas bolstering its competitive position.

Both these facilities, though, are own ports/private islands located well away from large population centres. While they provide some employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for Bahamians, the majority of the benefits from private ports go to the cruise lines, who often control the mark-ups and margins charged to passengers by providers.

Mr McCartney agreed, saying: The benefits go to the cruise lines, and the funding goes out the country. Theres hardly any benefit to the Bahamas.

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Bran: Bahamas 'Eye Opener' From Cruise Line'S Cuba Switch - Bahamas Tribune

CBS Local

Search Underway For Passenger Missing From Bahamas Cruise CBS Local MIAMI (CBSMiami) The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a man who was reportedly seen going overboard from a cruise ship near the Bahamas. It happened Monday around 8:30 a.m. on the Carnival Elation cruise ship, about 15 miles southwest of Abaco ... Man, 24, believed to have gone overboard from cruise ship near BahamasWFLA Coast Guard searching near the Bahamas for missing cruise ship passengerSun Sentinel Coast Guard searches for missing Carnival Elation passenger near BahamasActionNewsJax.com WPTV.com -13WMAZ.com -Firstcoastnews.com all 10 news articles »

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Search Underway For Passenger Missing From Bahamas Cruise - CBS Local

Nassau is back in business. The main port of the Bahamas quickly bounced back from Hurricane Matthew last fall, with resorts, restaurants and tourist attractions on line. If youre planning a first or return visit this spring, here is how to explore the Caribbean destination right now, from sampling fresh catches to diving to relaxing on secluded beaches.

A couple miles from downtown Nassau is Goodmans Bay, a vibrant beach where you can find cookouts, parties with bright umbrellas and locals swimming and snorkeling on the placid beach.

To eat like a local, too, head to a fish fry, like Nassau's Fish Fry, near Goodman's Bay. And at Twin Brothers (multiple locations, twinbrothersbahamas.com), tryclassic Bahamian cuisine like grilled mahi mahi, rice and plantains.

For something quite unique, head to dive resort Stuart Coves Dive Bahamas (stuartcove.com) on the southwest side of the island and explore underwater in a SUB aquanaut, a machine that combines motorcycling and scuba diving. Be sure to watch out for pirate fish, seabass, yellow tail snapper and stingrays.

Hop on a boat and head to Blue Lagoon Island, a secluded nursery for more than 100 species of marine life. Choose between shaking fins and wet kisses from dolphins or sea lions with an animal encounter (dolphinencounters.com), then rest up at the adults-only VIP beach.

For boutique shopping, head to the downtown Nassau area, along West Bay Street. Highlights include Straw Market, where a plethora of vendors selling colorful Mexican wares like baskets, blankets, and tchotchkes, and Cotton House, which sells colorful boots with intricate designs.

The all-inclusive Melia Nassau Beach (melia.com) is a kid-friendly resort located on Cable Beach, about a 20-minute bus ride from downtown Nassau. The most scenic views of the beach can be taken in on one of the wrap around balcony suites; if you have a family or a group of friends, opt for the 2-bedroom/3-full-bath suite. Indulge in the selection of free water sports like water biking, kayaks and stand-up paddle boarding. Fancy getting certified to dive? The property offers a complimentary scuba diving introduction at the pool area. The on-site restaurants offer a selection of cuisine from all over the world, from the Marketplace buffet restaurant, where dinner is themed each night, to the tapas bar Estavida.

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Nassau, Bahamas: Where to eat, dive and lay out on the sand - amNY

NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) The police on Monday appealed to citizens to provide information no matter how small or insignificant the tip may seem as they launched investigations into several murders in the Bahamas over the weekend.

Police said that the information could be provided anonymously or through Crime Stoppers.

They said that on Sunday, a man was shot dead while standing outside of his home. The authorities said that the unidentified man was approached by two armed gunmen who shot him before fleeing on foot.

In another incident, the police said two separate shooting incidents have resulted in one man being killed and two others hospitalised on Saturday.

The police said in the first incident, a group of people were attending a party, when the occupants of a blue self-drive vehicle pulled up and fired several shots into the crowd before speeding off. Two males were shot and taken to hospital where one of them remains in serious condition and the other in stable condition.

In the second incident, an unidentified male was standing outside of his home when the occupants of a vehicle pulled up and shot him before speeding off. The man was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police said that two of their colleagues have been hospitalised after they were shot by a suspect who has since been detained.

They said the shootings on Sunday occurred when the male and a female police officer responded to a domestic incident at a home in the capital.

While at the home, a man arm with a shotgun approached and shot both of them. The officers returned fire but the suspect was able to flee in a vehicle. The two officers were taken to hospital where they remain in stable condition, a police statement said, adding that the suspect was held suffering gunshot wounds. Police also recovered a shotgun from the suspect.

Police said on Friday, three people were shot dead during two separate shooting incidents.

In the first incident, a male was walking with two other males when a male armed with a handgun approached and shot him before fleeing on foot. The victim was pronounced dead on the scene.

In the second incident on Saturday, a group of people were at a nightclub, when an altercation occurred that led to a male armed with a handgun firing several shots into a crowd.

One male was shot as he attempted to leave in his vehicle. He was pronounced dead on the scene. Another male was taken to hospital where he later died, the statement said, adding that the police have launched an island-wide manhunt for the suspects.

In other criminal activities over the weekend, police said they seized several rounds of ammunition during an operation in Nassau Village.

An American national along with three Bahamians including two women have been taken into custody in connection with the discovery.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Free National Movement (FNM) has called on the government to break its silence on the crime situation in the country.

Those charged with ensuring the safety of our nation, must reassure citizens, and all residents, that the situation is under control, said the FNMs Marvin Dames.

He said that with 25 murders already on the record, an average of one murder every two days, and a pace that, if continued, will certainly lead to another heinous murder record, making a case that the nation is secure is extremely difficult.

However, silence on the part of our national security officials will not do, he added.

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Bloody weekend in Bahamas, Opposition calls for Gov't to break ... - Jamaica Observer

NASSAU, Bahamas, Feb. 13, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) has announced that the Norwegian Sky will begin calls to Havana, Cuba in 2017 dropping Freeport, Grand Bahama from its scheduled four-day voyage to The Bahamas.

While the Sky is indeed dropping Freeport from its itinerary for the period May to the end of 2017, the ship will still call on Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay during its three-day itinerary and Great Stirrup Cay on its four-day voyage.

NCL received approval for a one day per week sailing into Cuba and that date coincides with their Freeport stop which resulted in NCL dropping Freeport, Grand Bahama from its 4-day schedule.

Norwegian Cruise Lines have been sailing to The Bahamas for almost 50 years and all, except for one of its vessels, are registered under the Bahamian flag. This not only proves confidence in our destination, but it is also a testament of our stability in the region. The Sky began its operation in 1999 and is the second smallest vessel in Norwegian's fleet weighing 77 tons.

The Bahamas also attracts all Norwegian class vessels which include the Norwegian Sun, Spirit, Dawn, Jewel, Jade, Pearl, Gem, Epic, Breakaway and Getaway, Breakaway Plus and Pride of America. The vessels are vested in our destination.

The timing for the Sky to drop Freeport, Grand Bahama - an island that is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Matthew which struck the island in October 2016 - is regrettable. We look forward to Norwegian returning to that island in 2018.

Figures from 2016 show that cruise visits were up by 5.8 percent in 2016 over 2015. A total of 4,219,218 visitors cruised to The Bahamas through to November last year, compared to 4,066,530 for the same period in 2015. As a result, thousands of jobs and millions of dollars have been injected into The Bahamian economy as a result of the cruise industry.

Moreover many cruise lines, who committed to move their itinerary to Asia, have moved back to the region where The Bahamas owns the market share. This is further evident in the investments by all major cruise lines including Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Disney, MSC and Carnival Cruise Line.

It should be noted as well that several new cruises by major operators were added to The Bahamas in 2016 including the Carnival Vista, which has capacity for up to 5,000 guests and Royal Caribbean Harmony, which has a capacity for up to 5,400.

About The Islands Of The Bahamas

The Islands Of The Bahamas have a place in the sun for everyone. Each island has its own personality and attractions for a variety of vacation styles with some of the world's best golfing, scuba diving, fishing, sailing, boating, as well as, shopping and dining. The destination offers an easily accessible tropical getaway and provides convenience for travelers with preclearance through U.S. customs and immigration, and the Bahamian dollar is on par with the U.S. dollar. Do everything or do nothing, just remember It's Better in The Bahamas. For travel packages, activities and accommodations information, call 1-800-Bahamas or visit http://www.Bahamas.com. Look for The Bahamas on the web on Facebook Twitter and YouTube

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Bahamas Ministry of Tourism's Statement on NCL's Norwegian Sky Announcement - Yahoo Finance

Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade.

By SANCHESKA DORSETT

Tribune Staff Reporter

sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE the country recording 13 homicides in 13 days, Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade said the Bahamas is not in a state of crisis and the average Bahamian can continue to go about their day as normal day without the fear of being attacked.

At a press conference at police headquarters on Monday after a weekend of carnage, Commissioner Greenslade said the only solution to the countrys crime problem is to keep prolific offenders behind bars. He said the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) is not considering implementing a curfew or locking down certain neighbourhoods and the suggestion to do so is emotional and makes no sense.

His comments came hours after the country recorded its 27th homicide for the year. Seven people have been killed since Friday.

On Monday afternoon, police also reported that a man was stabbed outside an establishment on Nassau Street while two men were shot while in the area of Ross Corner. These victims were said to be in stable condition in hospital.

Commissioner Greenslade said it is simply not enough for people to point the finger at the police in times of crisis yet refuse to manage their homes or assist the police in catching wanted persons.

It is a falsehood to tell the Bahamian public and the world at large that the Bahamas is in crisis, that is nonsense, he said. Every well meaning citizen in this country is well aware that these young people that are unfortunately dying and the young people that are the perpetrators, these are people that have fallen though the cracks of our society and they did not remain in school. The ones who did, when they got out of school, chose to associate with the wrong type of company and this is tit for tat, you touch my boy I touch your boy type of thing.

He added: I do not want the public to form the impression you cant drive your car and go to work, or you cant drive your car to go to church, or you cant drive your car and go to the grocery store. We have a problem, lets not kid ourselves and that problem is prolific offenders that are in and out of the system who are not prepared to not live a life of crime....

This country is not at a stage where the average decent citizen has to be concerned about being attacked, Commissioner Greenslade added. Do we have cases were someone is robbed and where an innocent person dies, yes. But I am telling you year on year, those who are prepared to look at the facts can tell you that no one is interested in harming persons who go about their normal daily activity.

Bahamians can go about their daily lives as normal, I dont perceive that any Bahamian citizen who is going about their business on a daily basis is going to have any issues. It is a very bad development in this country but this is not something that happened overnight.

He also said there are far too many healthy bodied prolific offenders in our country who have no hesitation in causing harm to other people and until these people are put away for good the crime situation will never improve. When asked if the RBPF is considering implementing a curfew in high crime areas, Commissioner Greenslade said absolutely not.

The only solution (to crime) is when these people are arrested and charged, that we allow due process and natural justice and we put them before the courts. I believe firmly as the commissioner that they should remain incarcerated based upon the egregious crimes they have committed, Commissioner Greenslade said.

We have to ensure that people that walk around with assault weapons and other variations of weapons, that have raped people, that have attempted to rape people, that have killed people that have attempted to murder people they should remain, I will make no apology, they should remain incarcerated and have their day in court. If we continue he way we are going we will continue to chase our tails.

People are getting emotional and saying things that sound good to say - a curfew is not a good idea. I am going to say we should be careful...You can not ask the commissioner, in a democracy, with any intelligence to go into a community and just hit people over the head. It doesnt work like that, it makes absolutely no sense. I am telling you again, please listen to me. We know who the man is that shot the person, we have arrested him and taken him to court. Why are you continuing to ask me the same question? Why am I having to arrest these men again?

We are kidding ourselves. Yes, some drastic things should happen but the question should not be how drastic is the approach by the police. How much more drastic would you wish us to be? We dont sleep at night, our families hardly see us, everything we do we show you.

Commissioner Greenslade also said police are still looking for several persons in connection with this weekends homicides. Anyone with information on any of these murders is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.

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Greenslade: Bahamas Is Not In Crisis - Bahamas Tribune

The Washington Capitals have dispersed all across North America for their NHL bye week, and on Monday, we found out an amazing bit of news. The Oshie family, the Alzner clan, and the Winnik crew are all vacationing together at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.

The Oshie family included TJ, his wife Lauren, their two daughters Leni and Lyla, and Laurens sister, Ally. Karl and Mandy Alzner brought along their little ones,Stella and Anson. Daniel Winnik tagged along too and brought his lovely wife, Taylor. All three families look like they are literally having the best time ever.

What a backdrop.

Photo: @TayTayRu

Lauren Oshie and Taylor Winnik were lookin fab during their night out Monday.

Photo: @TayTayRu

Lauren and Lyla pose for a quick pic. (We see you, Daniel Winnik.)

Photo: @lauren.oshie

TJ also made sure to help Lyla out with some sand drawings.

Video: Lauren Oshies Snapchat

Alas, Lyla realizes the worst part about any drawing you make in the sand. They eventually get washed away. Poor girl.

Video: Lauren Oshies Snapchat

TJ also made sure to spend some quality time with his youngest daughter Leni.

Photo: Lauren Oshies Snapchat

Photo: Lauren Oshies Snapchat

Leni looks happy to be in the sand.

Photo: Lauren Oshies Snapchat

Heres Papa TJ pushing Lyla and Leni back to the hotel to take a nap.

Video: Lauren Oshies Snapchat

What a beautiful family.

Photo: @lauren.oshie

S/T to @CAPLDY

Bahamas, Daniel Winnik, Karl Alzner, TJ Oshie, Vacation

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The Oshies, Alzners, and Winniks are vacationing together in the Bahamas - Russian Machine Never Breaks

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ARCHIVAL VIDEO: Anna Nicole Smith is Buried in the Bahamas - ABC News

NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) The Bahamas says it is regrettable that Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) has decided to drop Grand Bahama from its scheduled four-day voyage to the country.

NCL said that the service will begin calls to Havana, Cuba this year.

The timing for the Sky to drop Freeport, Grand Bahama, an island that is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Matthew, which struck the island in October 2016, is regrettable. We look forward to Norwegian returning to that island in 2018, Bahamas Tourism said in a statement.

It said that NCL received approval for a one day per week sailing into Cuba, and that date coincides with their Freeport stop, which resulted in them dropping Freeport, Grand Bahama from its four-day schedule.

Norwegian Cruise Lines have been sailing in The Bahamas for 50 years and all of its vessels are registered under the Bahamian flag. This not only proves confidence in our destination, but it is also a testament to our stability in the region, Bahamas Tourism added.

It said that figures from 2016 show that cruise visits were up by 5.8 per cent in 2016 over 2015.

A total of 4,219,218 visitors cruised to The Bahamas through to November last year, compared to 4,066,530 for the same period in 2015. As a result, thousands of jobs and millions of dollars have been injected into The Bahamian economy as a result of the cruise industry.

Moreover, many cruise lines which committed to move their itinerary to Asia have moved back to the region, where The Bahamas owns the market share. This is further evident in the investments by all major cruise lines including Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Disney, MSC and Carnival Cruise Line.

The main Opposition Free National Movement (FNM) said that the decision by CNL to withdraw from Grand Bahama underscores the downward spiral of the local economy.

There are constant reminders every week of more hotels and resorts closing, more workers being laid off, and now we have cruise lines leaving our beautiful waters for other countries, said FNM Deputy Leader, K Peter Turnquest.

This change in destinations will mean that The Bahamas will lose out on 25 cruises, which make stops in both Nassau and Freeport, in the second half of 2017. This will have major negative impact on our tourism industry.

We will experience a loss of customers, a loss in revenues, and profits and an increase in our national debt. With the US-Cuba relations on the mend, The Bahamas needs to work double time to ensure that other cruise lines do not end their calls on Bahamian ports.

When companies start to leave the Bahamas and a trend is allowed to begin, it is hard to stop. This Progressive Liberal Party Government has not been working to save these cruise lines from leaving, rather they have focused solely on massive foreign-owned resorts. We need to catch ourselves from this death spiral quickly or we will be over the cliff before we know it., he added.

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Cruise liner pulls out of Bahamas for Cuba - Jamaica Observer

The Sawmill Sink hole, on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas, had something special waiting at the bottom for divers from the University of Florida: the 1,000-year-old skeleton of an extinct tortoise species, one so well preserved it yielded its ancient DNA intact.

The find, described by University of Florida researchers in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is being called the first DNA sample extracted from an extinct tropical species.

"This is the first time anyone has been able to put a tropical species into an evolutionary context with molecular data," said study co-author David Steadman, in a statement.

"And being able to fit together the tortoise's evolutionary history together will help us better understand today's tropical species, many of which are endangered," he added.

The tortoise, Chelonoidis alburyorum, with a shell described as about the size of a football, seems to have lived a harsdscrabble life. Evidence of bite marks from predators such a crocodiles adorned the shell's surface.

Credit: University of Florida

The fact that anything from the ancient animal, much less DNA, was intact was a happy accident of chemistry. For DNA to remain intact for a long time, it needs to exist in cold, dry conditions - quite the opposite of life in the West Indies. But Sawmill Sink is a deep blue hole deep enough that, at its bottom, 80 feet down, say researchers, water devoid of oxygen is created by the decay of plants and animals. That lack of oxygen kept the tortoise preserved, allowing researchers 1,000 years later to find it and sample its DNA.

RELATED: World's Deepest Blue Hole Is in South China Sea

Bone collagen preserved in the skeleton helped the researchers date the find, while other, more poorly preserved tortoises allowed them to determine that Chelonoidis alburyorum went extinct about 780 years ago. Not coincidentally, the scientists say, soon after humans settled in the area.

"There's a correlation that the arrival of humans spelled the demise of the tortoises," said Steadman. "It's probably a blend of direct hunting and habitat loss as the humans started burning the forests in the dry season."

Will the tropics yield more such well-preserved treasures of nature? Only time will tell.

"We now know so much about the tortoise's anatomy, how it lived and its evolutionary context," Steadman said. "To be able to do that with other species is a goal."

Top Photo: The fossil skull of the Bahamian tortoise, which yielded the first ancient tropical DNA.

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Ancient Tropical Tortoise Found in a Deep Blue Sinkhole in the Bahamas - Seeker