Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the Hon. Chester Cooper was among the guests at an opening held for Carnivale Bahamas.  The restaurant is located in Hurricane Hole on Paradise Island.

Carnivale Co-Owner, Bill Marovitz said, “because I have been coming down for years playing in Michael Jordan’s golf tournament they told me they has a friend who had a location and would I be interested in opening a restaurant here.  I said it depends on the location.  It depends on the deal but I’ll get on a plane and I’ll fly down there and I did and I met Davis Kosoy, who owns the property and we made a deal and today we have Carnivale Bahamas.”

The restaurant features a room dedicated to Bahamian diplomat and Academy Award Winner, Sir Sidney Poitier.  Minister Cooper said, “I’m delighted to see the recognition of an iconic Bahamian whose taken the spirit and the talent of The Bahamas to the world. Billy had the wisdom to recognize him in such a prominent way, can’t wait to use this particular room at some point.”

The Minister also spoke about the economic impact of the project.  He said, “if you look at the investment in the project itself $10-12 million into the economy of The Bahamas using Bahamian contractors perhaps hiring hundreds of workers in the construction phase now hiring an additional 200.  There are also spinoff opportunities and possibilities not to mention the new tax revenues and a general boost to Paradise Island and the tourism product.  Overall I think the impact will be more than just the numbers that we reference.”

Carnivale is located in Chicago, Illinois.