Gordon “Butch” Stewart is confident that his Sandals Royal Bahamian resort will hold firm against the expected competition from newcomer Baha Mar.
Baha Mar’s official ground breaking and pending opening has not sprung fears of market oversaturation from the Sandals chief.
“The more, the merrier in my view,” he said. “I pay no attention… I move my product. If it’s good for The Bahamas, it’s good for Sandals.”
Sandals reported a 20 percent year-on-year increase in occupancy for the month of February, with officials asserting future bookings looked just as promising.
This is in direct contrast to remarks made by Atlantis CEO Sol Kerzner, who last year said that the Baha Mar development could “cannibalise” the high-end tourism market, eating into Atlantis’ revenues and threatening Bahamian jobs at the resort.
Sir Sol suggested that the massive development be launched in stages to ensure a healthier, more stable tourism market.
