Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the Hon. Chester Cooper addressed concerns about the lack of foot traffic from Celebration Key to other parts of Grand Bahama on Wednesday.
Mr. Cooper told reporters outside of the House of Assembly that Carnival is cooperating with the government on the matter. He said, “the Ministry of Tourism has set up an information desk and ambassadors inside of Celebration Key. We’re looking to see how we can build tours with Carnival that focuses on use of taxis to ensure that guests coming to Celebration Key know that they are on Grand Bahama Island and not on a private island.”
The Minister said efforts are being made to ensure the Grand Bahama residents benefit economically from the cruise industry. Mr. Cooper said, “we want to get the guests to come to The Bahamas. We want them to come off the ships. We want them to stay longer onshore and therefore we encourage Bahamians to develop experiences to ensure that our guests come onshore, enjoy themselves and spend money. We are on an ongoing basis analyzing how we can work together with tour operators, with the cruise lines and the various chambers of commerce across the country.”
Carnival’s Celebration Key officially opened in July.
