President of The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Jackson Weech, and other BHTA Executive Committee members, recently paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, The Hon. Chester Cooper, who attended the meeting with Permanent Secretary of The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation (BMOTIA) Lisa Adderley Anderson, and Director General, Latia Duncombe.
President Weech, speaking on behalf of the BHTA, commenced discussions by acknowledging the efforts and achievements of initiatives that have recently been undertaken by the Government of The Bahamas, spearheaded by The Deputy Prime Minister, including but not limited to, the formation of The Joint Task Force Enforcement Unit (JTFEU), comprised of multi sectoral government agencies, and private sector partners whose mandate is to address longstanding issues with non-compliant Jet Ski operators, and to strengthen and support the regulatory environment, training and enforcement of Jet Ski and watercraft operators in The Bahamas. The BHTA tourism stakeholders applauded the Deputy Prime Minister for taking decisive steps to determine and deploy impactful measures to enhance enforcement; engagement and visibility in key areas which are highly frequented by jet ski operators. The senior level hoteliers commended the DPM’s private-public sector “Jet Ski Task Force”, and expressed their appreciation as the collaborative efforts were meeting with positive results and feedback in terms of compliance, safety, and enforcement.
President Weech, alongside Immediate Past President of the BHTA Robert “Sandy” Sands, and Senior Vice President Emmanuel “Manny” Alexiou, also recognized the Downtown Improvement Initiative; led and supported by BMOTIA and the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC), which has deployed activations including daily cleaning of downtown sidewalks and streets, and efforts to address infrastructure issues and derelict buildings as part of overarching efforts to improve the Downtown Environment. It was acknowledged that both initiatives served to address long standing ails, which could not be solved “overnight”, and which would require constant engagement and collaborative efforts between public and private sector stakeholders to achieve common goals.
Discussions also highlighted recent endeavors to “widen the financial net” and ensure tourism participants who benefit from the destination, contribute fairly to the public purse; thereby supporting the financial outlay required to maintain, promote, and enhance the Bahamian “product”. Stakeholders were referencing the recent efforts to regulate, register, and collect apt Value Added Tax (VAT) from applicable Vacation Home Rental Owners who were earning income from property rentals derived in the archipelago.
The group spoke about further opportunities to collaborate and enhance the harnessing of information gleaned from the entire spectrum of tourism industry; land and sea-based visitors, in order to update, hone and improve our ability as a destination to understand the evolving tourism landscape and make informed decisions accordingly. The BHTA executives also highlighted and reiterated the need for all sectors of government to communicate and collaborate when contemplating legislative changes, and/or when determining and deploying policies, or procedures that are impactful to the tourism industry and economy. This included the recent compendium of changes that have impacted Bahamian owned and operated Marinas who depend on the entire spectrum of boating business to sustain their cost of operations. The group concluded the productive, positive meeting, agreeing to continue to support each other as partners in our industry operating in sync to address challenges, old and new; and to continue to work assiduously to enhance our tourism “product and place” and entice visitors and locals to enjoy the beauty of The Bahamas and the hospitality of the people who call The Bahamas home.
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