Port Controller Says Cuba Need not Be a Threat to Bahamas Tourism

The marina and cruise ship industry in The Bahamas would not be in jeopardy should the economic embargo the United States has on Cuba be lifted, Bahamas Port Authority Controller Captain Anthony Allens predicted recently.

In an interview with The Bahama Journal, Mr. Allens said that although Cuba has changed leadership –with longtime President Fidel Castro stepping down and his younger brother Raul Castro succeeding him- the Bahamas has nothing to fear.

“What people need to understand is that at some point in time, Cuba will open up,” he said. “I don’t think that the Bahamas should be too afraid of Cuba opening up. I think Cuba will just be another destination where persons will go, and persons will go there because of the mystique surrounding Cuba.

Mr. Allens said with the prospect that Cuba will become a major competitor in the tourism industry, the Bahamas must let its reputation speak for itself to lure more visitors to the islands.

“Most of the cruises originate from the Florida area and a lot of them are three, four days, five days, and so with Cuba opened up, all it would do is add another leg to that cruise. So Miami, Bahamas, to Cuba or back to Miami or the other way around,” he said.

The Ministry of Tourism recently released preliminary figures which showed a 3.4 percent decline in visitors to the Bahamas in 2007 over 2006.