The government was last night given a clear-cut warning that the $600 million Atlantis Phase Three development cannot go ahead unless it improves Nassau’s down-at-heel airport and clears the way for lucrative US convention business.
Kerzner International president Mr. Butch Kerzner said the new project was ‘not feasible’ unless these important issues were cleared up first.
His comments came as Bahamian politicians and businessmen were trying to digest the implications of this week’s announcement that Kerzner is to create a new Atlantis in the booming Middle East resort kingdom of Dubai.
An Arabian-style Royal Towers, based loosely on the Paradise Island edifice, will provide the centrepiece for a fantastic new development aimed at making Dubai the tourism mecca of the world.
Bahamian tourism industry sources inevitably fear that the Kerzers will now shift their focus away from Paradise Island to their new project in the United Arab Emirates. And they are nervous about any unflattering comparisons being drawn between the dynamic Dubai government and what many see as Prime Minister Perry Christie’s Cabinet of ditherers.
Last night, one source said: “It’s time for the Bahamas government to get real, pull their fingers out and get things moving. Everyone knows the airport is a national disgrace. It’s probably the worst in this part of the world. And convention business is one of the big growth areas of international tourism.”
In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Mr. Kerzner reaffirmed his faith in the Bahamas as a leading resort, but made it clear that lucrative convention business and an acceptable airport were vital if the Atlantis resort was to progress.
Although Mr. Kerzner is excited about the company’s Dubai venture, he stressed tere will be no shift in focus from Paradise Island.
A lucrative 45-year management services deal for Kerzner International will make Dubai a vastly more profitable venture for them than Paradise Island.
Kerzner International’s decision to create a second Atlantis in the Middle East is part of a plan to make it a global brand, with the Royal Towers an instantly recognizable “icon” of their business.
The Tribune
