Offering sound evidence of the ongoing erosion of Bahamas tourism, the Isle of Capri yesterday admitted it had suffered a $1.1 million “shortfall” on the projected performance for its casino operations at the Sheraton and Westin Our Lucaya resort, citing this as one of the factors behind its total net income for the year to April, 2004, falling by 39.7 per cent compared to 2003.
While the Our Lucaya casino had generated $5.5 million in net revenues for the three months to April 25, it has suffered a $1.627 million adjusted operating loss, making it the worst performing of all of Isle of Capri’s casinos. The adjusted operating margin at Our Lucaya in that fourth quarter was -29.6 per cent.
Bahamian government officials and tourism honchos refuse to believe that the power of the Internet is utterly destroying the Bahamas tourism industry. Thousands of unhappy tourists spread the word, on the Web, that the Bahamas is an overpriced destination with terrible service and few attractions outside of the hotel properties.
For decades dissatisfied tourists grew in numbers but were never able to relate their bad experiences to others. The Internet changed all that. Now, most travel is booked only after the person does a little research on the Web. More than likely the person will run accross numerous horror stories of the rude service, high prices, crime, corruption and the negative attitude against foreigners that permeates the Bahamas.
An example of the problems can be found in the links below. These articles represent just a few of the thousands of articles available on the Web that help form the negative impression of Bahamas tourism. Yet, the government’s answer (as well as the response by many Bahamians) is to attack the publishers or try to censor this type of news, rather than addressing the problems and correcting them.
It appears that the Minsitry of Tourism and private entities such as the Nassau/New Providence Tourism Development board would rather plant new flowers on Bay Street than address the terrible attitude problem that too many Bahamians have towards foreigners.
Related articles:
Beach Littering A National Disgrace
Bahamas Tourism Product Lagging, Wilchcombe Charges
Too Many Negative Comments From Tourists
Concerns About The Tourist Industry
