A 25-year-long era came to an end yesterday when the Discovery Sun pulled out of Freeport Harbour for the last time.
Millions of passengers, both locals, and tourists have travelled to and from Fort Lauderdale and Grand Bahama on the vessel that has had a constant presence in the community.
In just a matter of days, the ship, that was recently sold, will also cease to exist.
He noted that the amount of money Bahamians have spent in Fort Lauderdale since the Discovery Sun began operating possibly exceeds $1 billion.
Hahn added that as far as tourists are concerned, the ship has remained one of the biggest tour operators on the island.
Hahn noted however, that the company has been suffering financially for some time now.
Hahn said now that the ship’s run has come to an end his next concern is finding gainful employment for the company’s employees.
Hugh Smith, a local small business operator at the Freeport Harbor shared that the local economy will be hard hit by the loss of the Discovery Sun.
Smith added that while 60 percent of his business came from locals, about 20 percent came from crew members on board the ship and another 20 percent from tourists.
He anticipated that government revenue would be heavily affected because a lot of The Bahamas Customs Department’s revenue came in from Bahamians travelling on the Discovery Sun and bringing in their items.
