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Friday, July 3, 2009

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FOODIE SPORTS SCOPE REAL TALKS Bring on the land crabs Appropriate template important for Caribbean Games success
Wilchcombe: New cruise ship act important for GB tourism By BRENT DEAN ~ Guardian Staff Reporter ~ brentldean@nasguard.com: The new cruise ship overnighting act is an important step in the creation of a cruise port in Freeport, Grand Bahama, that would boost the tourism industry and bring more than one million visitors to the northern island, according to West End and Bimini Member of Parliament Obie Wilchcombe. "If the government has to put up no money and Carnival and maybe Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) will come up and build the cruise port, at the end of the day we're going to have a first-class cruise port in Freeport which would be the game changer to the tourism sector in Freeport, Grand Bahama," said Wilchcombe yesterday in the House of Assembly. Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham announced in the House yesterday during a debate to amend the cruise ship overnighting act that the government is seeking to engage a strategic partner to build a cruise port near Williams Town, Grand Bahama. Wilchcombe, a former tourism minister, cited a study performed when he was in office. It said that once the port is created, almost immediately, one million cruise visitors would visit the island of Grand Bahama. "It will bring to Freeport and Grand Bahama a major piece of the puzzle to put in place a sustained program for tourism as a major sector on that island," said Wilchcombe. Wilchcombe told the House that former Prime Minister Perry Christie met with the late Edward St. George, a principal in the Grand Bahama Port Authority, and Micky Arison, chief executive officer at Carnival Cruise Line, when he was in office. They considered a port at Grand Bahama, said Wilchcombe. He said the investment being considered was in excess of $100 million. Prime Minister Ingraham did not say who the strategic partner would be for the Grand Bahama cruise port. Wilchcombe also called on the government to look for other means by which the tourism industry on Grand Bahama could be improved. He said the beach front at Lucaya is a place where hotels could be developed. Wilchcombe also said that a major annual event in Grand Bahama would assist in luring visitors to the country. As a means of creating more interest in The Bahamas as a whole, the former tourism minister suggested the government create a 24-hour tourism channel on the Internet. Tuesday, June 30, 2009