Pressure brought on the government through the cancellation of reservations for boat slips at marinas throughout the country and an organized boycott via the Internet have propelled government authorities to rethink a move to increase fees for foreign boat owners traveling to The Bahamas.
The fees, which were tripled in some cases, came into effect on July 1, just before the American fourth of July independence celebrations- a popular boating holiday.
Fees were increased from $100 to $300 for craft larger than 35 feet. Fees for boats under 35 feet were raised by $50 to $150 and boats 25 feet to 35 feet were upped from $100 to $150 with a further increase up to $300 which was scheduled for November 1.
Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe told the Bahama Journal on Monday that the government was exercising “damage control”.
He said that he believed that boater frustration was more related to the lack of notice given about the increases rather than the actual increases.
“People are not necessarily opposed to the fees,” he said. “What they are opposed to is the fact that they were not told. It happened overnight almost.”
As part of the government’s damage control efforts, officials will meet with members of the boating community in the United States as well as with marina owners and individuals who frequent The Bahamas.\
“We’re going to talk with them to make sure there is an understanding and to find the best way of moving forward,” he said.
Minister Wilchcombe indicated that the fees might be reintroduced in January 2004 once adequate publicity has been disseminated.
He added that fee increases are sometimes necessary to help preserve the environment and develop infrastructure for visitors to The Bahamas.
“There are constant demands,” he said. “There are demands for us to fix our airports; there are demands for us to fix our docks…where are we going to get the money from?
“On the one hand they wish to have higher standards and have quality maintenance but on the other hand there are many [who] do not wish to contribute,” he added.
Some of the resorts such as the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island have reported a significant decline in marina bookings since the fees were introduced.
Paul O’Neil, chief executive officer of Kerzner International, speaking on the Love 97 programme “Jones and Company” on Sunday said that his company was very concerned about the fee increases.
“As somebody who operates a marina and as somebody who has had cancellations because of the increase in the fees I was very concerned,” he said.
Mr. O’Neil said he alerted tourism officials to the gravity of the matter.
“I think there is the realization that we might have gone a bit too far too quickly and so I don’t think it’s going to have a negative impact because I think they are going to fix it,” he said.
He said that because a number of other marina owners in the country expressed similar concerns to the government officials, he felt the government would rectify the problem.
“They’ re reviewing the increase right now and I believe they will adjust the increases,” Mr. O’ Neil said.
By Julian Reid, The Bahama Journal
