The 183-room, five-star resort at Emerald Bay in Great Exuma, took nine months longer to open than expected.
The prime minister said the resort is bound to stimulate the economy in the 120-mile-long island chain.
“Those who were responsible for briefing me on what I should say have not been able to do that,” he joked.
He congratulated the CEO of the resort, Kevin Clemente who, he said, would face challenges operating a five-star facility on a Family Island.
“We have a wonderful democracy, one where a government can change hands and be replaced and in so far as the investors are concerned, their confidence remains as solid as it was when they first conceived their idea. That is kind of the country we live in.”
Mr. Christie commended the FNM government for approving the project and said that he was certain that in the future another government will be commending the Perry Christie government for approving a number of large-scale investments.
“Whenever I have gone around the world, I have taken pains to demonstrate, as I have tried to do in a singular message to all Bahamians, that when it comes to this kind of development, when it comes to progressing and growing our country we have no time to be divided by politics.”
He said he wanted the owners to know that any failure in the future would not come because of a lack of government assistance. He said the Ministry of Tourism will be measuring the progress of the resort by examining exit surveys on visitor satisfaction.
The prime minister said ensuring human beings are treated with dignity and respect ought to be paramount to any company and the resort could not be successful because of its beauty alone but its success would depend on its commitment to people. He said he did not want to see people remain on the sidelines as the Exuma economy grew and then complain about not having opportunities.
The prime minister said the Exuma Cays have attracted some of the world’s top investors and he is committed to ensuring that people with the capacity to work will share in the prosperity.
Ramesh Sadhwani, general manager of the resort, told The Guardian that the resort’s initial opening on Nov. 24 was considered a “soft” one where employees from the company’s corporate office, as well as corporate guests, flew in and used the facilities so that they would be able to better market the overall product. He said that on Wednesday, the resort will be open for full-paying customers.
The Four Seasons at Emerald Bay is near the community of Farmer’s Hill and seven miles from the Exuma International Airport. The company has 487 employees and represents the largest investment in the Exumas, approximately $300 million.
Of its 183 rooms, 140 are regular rooms and 43 are luxury suites. Thirty-six of the suites are offer a separate living room and two full bathrooms. The property has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, a fitness centre, a full-service spa, two swimming pools, a children’s play pool, scuba diving, snorkelling, a casino, restaurants, shops, a lounge and indoor and outdoor meeting areas.
The resort’s 17-acre deepwater marina is being constructed to accommodate vessels up to 230 feet long. It would serve as a point of entry for customs and immigration and provide daily docking and full services, including water, electricity, telephone, cable TV, fuel dock, a dockmaster’s office, ship’s chandlery, a produce market, floating docks and dry-dock storage.
By Mindell Small, The Nassau Guardian
