The Chairman of a proposed $4.5 billion resort and real estate project off Grand Bahama said Tuesday that the project, if approved, would create approximately 25,000 permanent jobs, most of which will be offered to Bahamians.
Michael Henderson, chairman of RJH Holdings and the creator of the MOON project, told the Bahama Journal that RJH, MOONﾴs parent company, is now waiting on the Bahamas Government to give provisional approval to the project dubbed the ﾓfirst wonder out of this world.ﾒ
On Friday, RJH Holdings released a statement saying it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Grand Bahama Port Authority to construct a celestial-themed vacation development just North of Grand Bahama.
The project would consist of five man made islands which would house the worldﾴs largest casino and hotel with 12,000 suites, and would also include a 20,000 condominium development and ten-ship cruise terminals.
Mr. Henderson said, ﾓThis will be a tremendous boost for the Bahamian working public. It will be the largest project thatﾴs ever happened in the Bahamas.
ﾓWe intend to use every Bahamian construction worker that wants to work on the project. I cannot envisage, when we open, that there will be one person out of work on Grand Bahama unless they donﾴt want to work.ﾒ
Mr. Henderson said RJH Holdings developed the MOON concept five years ago, and has spent over $5 million to draft the project and acquire the expertise needed to construct and oversee it.
RJH, however, has no other tourism or real estate-based interests in the world, and according to Mr. Henderson, MOON is the companyﾴs ﾓstandalone project.ﾒ
ﾓOnce [the Bahamas government] has hopefully come on board, we will move to our next stage which is the feasibility stage,ﾒ he said. ﾓAnd in that stage we will be producing documents from global experts on such things as the environment and the economic impact.ﾒ
Mr. Henderson said the studies could take up to a year to complete.
Government officials have not yet made any comment on the proposal, although Mr. Henderson said the projectﾴs proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Financial Services and Investments.
The multibillion-dollar project was originally pegged for the Middle Eastern city of Dubai, according to a MOON release issued last December.
The release indicated that Thailand and the Caribbean were the remaining frontrunners for the projectﾴs location.
Mr. Henderson said Grand Bahama was eventually chosen because, ﾓItﾴs got many unique things. The Grand Bahama Port Authority is an extremely well organized group [that] is very interested in innovation. We think that MOON fits in very well with their vision for the island.ﾒ
In Fridayﾴs release, GBPA co-chairman Edward St. George is quoted as saying that the MOON project is both bold and unique, and that the GBPA believes that Grand Bahama is the ideal location for a project of MOONﾴs magnitude.
MOONﾴs project sketches posted on the projectﾴs official website suggest that the offshore development would be linked to Grand Bahama via a bridge or an over-water causeway.
Mr. Henderson pointed out that, ﾓOne of the attractions with Grand Bahama is that [it has] a fabulous airport with a new airport terminal just built. Theyﾴve got a great new runway that has just recently been paved and can handle the heavier aircraft that we plan to bring.ﾒ
Critics have reportedly expressed doubt in the projectﾴs feasibility, suggesting that the plan, which has as its central focus the moon, is too big and would be unable to attract consistent interest in its theme.
But last January, the projectﾴs team expressed its optimism in the potential success of the proposal, saying that the planned MOON resort already has 1,000 confirmed bookings.
MOON officials have indicated their intent to include one of the worldﾴs largest artificial reefs as part of the projectﾴs overall plans.
Mr. Henderson said the project, if approved, would be completed in 2010.
Sharon Williams,The Bahama Journal
