During the official opening ceremonies for the second annual Grand Bahama Business Expo – Tourism Edition, Minister for Grand Bahama, Ginger Moxey said Freeport has grown and developed in both its business and tourism markets and is poised to accelerate even more, as new tourism-related businesses are launched via the GB Business Expo.
“And yes, the prospects for Grand Bahama as a leading tourism hub and investment destination are grand. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, our island’s recovery is a journey of patience, strength, innovation and resiliency. And yes, the recovery may seem to be slow-paced, but ladies and gentlemen, make no mistake, the recovery is happening.”
Addressing business leaders, entrepreneurs, tourism executives and stakeholders on day one of the two-day expo at Grand Lucayan resort, Thursday, May 1, 2025, Minister Moxey said Grand Bahama’s time has come. This, she added, is evident in the fact that Grand Bahama is rebounding and experiencing steady growth, along with several other Family Islands in The Bahamas.
Minister Moxey pointed out that Grand Bahama saw an impressive increase in air arrivals in 2024 and the island ranked number one in tourism arrivals in 2023. This was an increase of 8.7 percent compared to the previous year.
“This growth reflects our island’s appeal to travelers searching for destinations with beautiful natural landscapes and immersive cultural experiences,” added Minister Moxey.
“Despite the challenges we’ve faced post Hurricane Dorian and the COVID 19 Pandemic, Grand Bahama is finally moving in the right direction. When the Davis/Cooper Administration came to office in 2021, we devised an innovative plan to revitalize the island’s economy. Four years later, our strategy has yielded results. The policies and initiatives we implemented, the number of government-led projects we executed, new investments, new entrepreneurs, new businesses that have opened are signs of real progress across multiple sectors.
“We have moved the needle forward, but the government cannot do it all alone. And there is still so much work to be done.”
Echoing what seemed to be the buzzword for the Expo – collaboration, Minister Moxey explained that collaboratively, government, along with the business and tourism sectors can focus on sustainable development and bring together domestic and international investors, tourism stakeholders and government leaders to explore the wealth of new opportunities available in Grand Bahama.
“Collaboratively, we can spark a fresh wave of spin-off opportunities for entrepreneurs, by creating boutique experiences, innovative tours, eco adventures, and heritage and cultural tourism and position Grand Bahama island for tourism success. We have been working together on initiatives like Sea Trade, held last month, to strongly promote Grand Bahama as a tourism destination.
“With our prime location, world class infrastructure, vibrant community and significant investment projects like Carnival Celebration Key, the Freeport Harbour Cruise Port, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, MSC Projects and the Shipyard project, Grand Bahama will soon become one of the Caribbean’s exciting destinations.”
By Andrew Coakley/Bahamas Information Services
