The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is responding to demands that it address the growing number of crimes against tourists in The Bahamas.
The Ministry says it is “concerned” that crimes committed against tourists are giving The Bahamas a bad reputation as an unsafe destination. ﾠSome tourism undustry officials feel the Bahamas government has waited too long to address the problem and that there is still no guarantee that the new found concern will result in anything but press releases and public relations damage control.
The Bahamas criminal justice system is in such shambles, it is difficult to see how anything will change until deeper social problems are addressed by the government.
A tourist who was robbed at the Wyndham Nassau Resort and Casino attracted international attention when she complained about her experience on MSNBC.com. ﾠIt appears that tourists often have to rely on international pressure to get the government of the Bahamas to act responsibly, but that seems always to be the case. ﾠIt wasn’t until the OECD and the FATF blacklisted the nation before they addressed the serious problems with money laundering that exist in the troubled offshore jurisdiction.
Nancy Miller, a visitor from Florida, was vacationing in The Bahamas with a friend when on the second night of her stay, her hotel room was robbed of $640 worth of jewelry and a mobile phone.
The sliding glass door of Ms. Miller’s seventh floor hotel room was found open after the robbery. Robert Sands, vice-president of administration at the Wyndham, said hotel guests are warned to keep all doors locked.
Ms. Miller posted her experiences on the “Travel Troubles” section of the MSNBC.com Website. ﾠHer post was responded to by an American columnist specializing in solving travel problems.
The columnist, Mr. Christopher Elliott, warned tourists traveling to The Bahamas to take heed of the travel warnings and related information issued by the US Department of State. ﾠThe information, which can be found on the State Department’s Website, warns hotel guests in The Bahamas to always have their doors locked and “never leave valuables unattended, especially on beaches.”
Visitors are also advised to store passports and other valuables, such as tickets, credit cards and extra cash, in the hotel safe.
Colin Higgs, Permanent Secretary at the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism admitted that crimes against tourists have become a serious concern for his Ministry. He attended a meeting yesterday morning to address the issue and a task force has been created to determine the best course of action.
The task force, a joint venture between government and the private sector, will attempt to place more security in areas frequented by tourists. ﾠThis has been compared to putting a band-aid on the problem as it does not address the increasing levels of crime and corruption that are pervasive throughout the Islands of The Bahamas. If the task force is as useless and incompetent as other government commissions and taskforces, there is little change that can be expected. Bahamians are still waiting for results from a taskforce on crime that was established in April and various other commissions and committees that are established with much fanfare then never heard from again.
“Unless the Bahamas addresses the corruption at the highest levels of government and within the courts and the police force, and until they start jailing the gangsters who run the country, nothing will change,” says one tourism expert familiar with the situation. ﾠ”Press releases won’t cut it anymore,” he added.
The Ministry of Tourism Website, www.bahamas.com, used to have a message board but it became clogged with so many complaints they removed it from the site. ﾠThey replaced it with an area where tourists can leave comments, good or bad. ﾠThey apparently have had numerous emails since the service was established, most of which are complaints.
Mr. Higgs, shrugs that off saying that, “When people have a problem or are mistreated they are usually more inclined to respond.” It should be noted that email to BahamasB2B.com is approximately 90% positive, which would contradict Mr. Higg’s theory.
Ms. Miller had stated that she was forced to endure three-hours of questioning by the Bahamas police before she was given a breakfast voucher and a taxi to the airport. Mr. Elliot, the travel consultant, along with MSNBC.com, did some research before responding to Ms. Miller’s complaint. They contacted Andrew HeLal, vice-president of operations at the Wyndham, who then offered Ms. Miller two free nights at the Wyndham, which still doesn’t cover the $640 she lost.
