Residents of Harbour Island were in uproar yesterday when a cruise ship anchored offshore and unloaded nearly 200 passengers on to the island’s premier beach.
Some islanders were asking “Is this the beginning of the end?” as crowds of holidaymakers came ashore in dinghies. “We are just incredulous – it’s like an invasion,” said restaurant owner Julie Lightbourn.
The small cruise ship moored off the beach serving the luxury Pink Sands and Coral Sands hotels. Its passengers arrived with snorkelling gear, swamping what is normally a quiet exclusive beach used mainly by upscale tourists.
Ms Lightbourn said: “I am curious to know the meaning of this. I don’t think it is the right direction for Harbour Island to be taking.”
Ms Lightbourn, who runs the Sip Sip Restaurant on the seafront, said islanders had been told by local Ministry of Tourism representatives that the cruise ship visit was an experiment. But she said there was no prior consultation and everyone was taken by surprise.
According to Tourism officials in Nassau, the ministry had nothing to do with the visit and was also not consulted in advance.
The mainly middle-aged and elderly tourists – believed to be mostly Germans – were disembarked from the Hanseatic, a ship owned by a European cruise line. It is used mainly for “discovery cruises to exotic locations”, according to its owners.
As passengers came ashore, many headed for beach equipment owned by the two luxury hotels. As a result, guests paying up to $500 a night for exclusive accommodation began lodging protests with management, claiming they were never told the island was a cruise ship resort.
Yesterday, one businessman said: “What will happen next? Will we be having three or four cruise ships arriving at the same time, with people using jet-skis and the like?
“These people have come off the ship and camped on the beach. They are going into the hotels to use toilet facilities. It is a crazy situation.
“They have brought their own food and beverages, so they are bringing nothing to the island but their trash.”
Complaints
Local ministry representative Prescott Young was deluged with complaints from winter residents, hoteliers and other business owners.
The theme of the protests was that Harbour Island is an exclusive small island resort, not a replica of Paradise Island. He promised to pass on their views to his bosses in Nassau.
Another business source said: “Harbour Island is an exclusive destination. People pay a premium to come here. If they wanted hair-braiders and jet-skis and the like, they would go to Nassau.”
During the morning a “ferry service” of motor launches was running between the ship and the beach. “This whole thing was unannounced and is a no-win situation for Harbour Island,” said an islander.
“We have enough nonsense going on here with the local council without this happening. It makes me wonder whether the administrator’s office is not now going into the tourist business.”
According to Tourism Director General Vernice Walkine, the Ministry of Tourism was just as surprised by the visit as the local population.
Ms Walkine explained that while it is part of the ministry’s strategy to encourage small luxury cruise ships to call at ports throughout the Bahamas, this does not necessarily mean that Harbour Island will be one of the target destinations.
Had the ministry been aware of the stop, she added, the matter would have been handled “a lot differently”.
Mrs Walkine said she believes the visit was organised between the cruise company and local government officiais.
The director general assured Harbour Island resident that even if a future cruise stop is contemplated, it will not take place in the same fashion, as all parties have now been informed that the Port Authority is the appropriate body through which to organise such events.”
Source: The Tribune
