BHTA Annual Report Draft 11/30

BHTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS & MEMBERS MEETINGS 2018

In 2018 the BHTA hosted Mrs. Joy Jibrilu, Director General of Tourism, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation. The Director General spoke of “Creating a World Class Bahamas”.

Following the Director Generals remarks at the first BHTA Board of Directors and Members meeting of the year in February 2018m, The Honorable T. Brent Symonette, M.P. Minister of Financial Services, Trade and Industry and Immigration, Ministry of Financial Services, Commonwealth of The Bahamas gave a keynote speech on ““How the Ministry of Financial Service, Trade and Industry and Immigration can Impact and Improve Doing Business in the Tourism Industry”.

Further in the year Permanent Secretary (NAME) of the Ministry of National Security addressed members on the topic of crime and safety in The Bahamas, and the role they played in the Tourism Industry.

In August 2018; The Hon. Thomas Desmond Banniste, Minister of Public Works, Member of Parliament (FNM), Carmichael, New Providence addressed members on the Topic “ Short, Medium and Long Term Goals to address the cost and reliability of electricity and other important infrastructure/ product improvement plans for the Bahamas”.

recognize performers in industry such as the National Culinary Team and CH Recognition of 2017 National Culinary Team and CHTAEF and Pat Bain 2018 Scholarship Recipients.

In 2019, the BOD and Members Meetings will continue to be a source of information and an opportunity to network with fellow industry stakeholders, and to learn about industry performance, trends and forecasts.

In addition to the industry reports and Keynote Speakers, the BHTA meetings often serves to 2018 Annual Report

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BHTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS & MEMBERS MEETINGS 2018

In 2018, The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association continued to gather industry stakeholders throughout the year to report on; and discuss matters of critical importance to the Tourism Industry. BHTA Members meet to network with fellow executives, and to glean important industry relevant information including; past performance statistics, future performance outlook as it pertains to occupancy levels, annual daily rates, and airlift.

Stakeholders from both the private and public sector often give infrastructure updates; and provide insight into new proposed developments. Each Board of Directors and Members Meeting hosts a minimum of one “Keynote Speaker” who will speak on topics of interest.

BHTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS & MEMBERS MEETINGS 2018

THE BAHAMAS & THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION

The BHTA has expressed the following sentiments pertaining to the impact of the Bahamas’ ascension to WTO. Bahamian manufacturers, particularly those MSME’s who produce Bahamian made products, jams, jellies, jewelry, art, crafts, carvings and other items reflective of Bahamian culture and customs cannot be adversely affected by the Bahamas’ ascension to WTO. Given the realities of the cost of doing business, and the benefits of economies of scale, which are not able to be leveraged in small island nations, local MSME’s must be protected to ensure that we are able to maintain, and enhance Bahamian entrepreneurship, ownership and subsequently the diversification and strengthening of our economy.

The Government must work to develop a Revenue Neutral fiscal strategy when considering the reallocation of government revenue lost post WTO ascension. Bahamian businesses cannot be expected to bear the burden of addition fees, taxes to mitigate the revenue lost from duties and other cross border tariffs, levies etc., particularly in the face of the increase in VAT, the exorbitant, rising cost of energy etc.

The BHTA will continue to liaise and communicate with members, and the cadre of micro, small and medium sized enterprises; “Tru Tru Bahamian entrepreneurs in an effort to achieve common goals.

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THE BAHAMAS AND THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION

The Government of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas has re-engaged its efforts to become a member of the WTO. Their aim is to complete requisite procedures in 2019 in advance of the next ministerial conference which is scheduled for June 2020. The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association has been engaged in discussions with relevant stakeholders re the topic of the Bahamas’ ascension, most recently meeting in October 2018 with the lead negotiator Zhivargo Laing and members of the negotiating team from the Ministry of Financial Services, Trade & Industry and Immigration. The BHTA also attended the varying stakeholder sessions, alongside industry partners in the summer of 2018.

CLIMATE SMART & SUSTAINABLE TOURISM/DISASTER READINESS

CLIMATE SMART & SUSTAINABLE TOURISM/ DISASTER READINESS

The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association helped to gather industry stakeholders to collectively participate in a number of workshops hosted by local and regional industry partners including The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (BMOT); The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Workshops in late September and early October 2018 focused on the subjects such as Sustainable Tourism and Climate Responsiveness, Disaster Risk Management and other climate smart sustainable tourism topics.

The series of workshops started with “The Bahamas Sustainable Tourism Consultation Workshop” where presentations were made on “Sustainable Tourism and Climate Responsiveness: The Bahamas Experience” by Earlston McPhee, CTO Sustainable Tourism Technical Committee Representative for The Bahamas and Director, office of the Minister, Ministry of Tourism, and culminated in a disaster management training workshop for industry stakeholders in both the public and private sector, which included a “Train the Trainer Certificate” for all participants.

Following this series of workshops, the BHTA participated in The Caribbean Tourism Organizations “Sustainable Caribbean Tourism Industry (CSSCTI) Project” workshop where tourism stakeholders were trained and sensitized on project deliverables, such as the updated Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework and Disaster Risk Management Manual for the Tourism Sector. The two-day interaction included presentations by thematic experts and consultants who shared knowledge, best practices and provided practical training aimed at capacity-enhancement of participants in climate smart sustainable tourism topics.

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2018 Annual Report

The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association met with the recently appointed Chairman of Bahamas Power and Light, Dr. Donovan Moxey and other BPL representatives to discuss the very important issue of “cost and supply of electricity in The Bahamas”.

Nassau, Family Island, small, medium and large-sized properties; and other tourism related organizations were represented by attendees at the meeting held at BPL headquarters on December 3rd 2018.

The overarching aim of the meeting was to discuss BPL’s outlook for the future cost and supply of electricity, to provide insight into the unique requirements of the tourism industry; and to examine potential collaborative measures which could be deployed in the short, mid and long-term to address the cost and supply of electricity; which at it’s escalating rate was exacerbating an already high cost of operations for businesses in the Bahamas.

The energy-related challenges are shared by a diverse range of tourism dependent organizations.

Small family-owned businesses, medium and large sized properties, both in New Providence and throughout the Family Islands continue to face similar challenges; a mounting bottom line expense which by and large, exceeds even the most generous forecasted budget expectation. The financial

ramifications of an unabated rise in electricity cost poses common threats; for some, substantive revenue erosion threatens their ability to cover basic operation costs and their ability to expand, pay salaries, spend funds on training, essential product improvement, sales and marketing etc.

Furthermore, an erratic supply of electricity, i.e. brown outs and black outs; translates into additional costs for properties who must rely on redundant power facilities, and/or if assets are damaged or degraded due to power issues. Finally; and this rings true particularly for businesses where redundant power is not available, the loss of power hinders the operator’s ability to service a tourism market which, for the most part, has no concept of unstable power, and who ill-tolerates such issues arising during their high-cost vacation. The BHTA will continue to work collaboratively with the respective private and public sector representatives to address the grave issues of cost and supply of energy in The Bahamas

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BHTA Hotel & Allied Members: ALLIED MEMBERS

American Eagle-Envoy Arawak Imports Ltd. Arawak Port Development Limited (ADPL) Ardastra Gardens Avis Rent-A-Car Bahama Islands Resorts & Casinos Co-operative Bahamas Experience Bahamas Food Services Bahamas Hotel Employers Assoc.

Bahamas Petroleum Company Bahamas Realty Limited Bahamas Waste Bahamas Wholesale Agency (BWA) Bahamasair Bahamia Rental Bahamian Brewery & Beverage Co. Bank of the Bahamas International Basden Elevators Bedford Baker Benelda.com Blue Illusions Limited BOIPB British Airways PLC Burns House - Commonwealth Brewery Cable Beach Manor Cable Beach Resort Association Cacique International Caribbean Bottling Co. Caribbean Hospitality Management Consultants Caribbean Island Concierge Ltd. Carter Marketing Cheryl’s Bahamas Taxi and Tours CIBC First Caribbean International Bank Clear Solution Plus Cole Ins. Agents & Brokers Limited Commonwealth Building Supply D’Albenas Agency Ltd. Deloitte & Touche Dolphin Encounters Downtown Nassau Partnership Limited Dupuch Publications El Shaddai Party Rentals & Supplies Ltd. Equilibrium Events Inc Exclusive Island Tours Limited Festival Rum Bahamas Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Limited Freeport Harbour Company Fun Foods Wholesale GBITB Glinton Sweeting Graphite Engineering Ltd. Green Systems Limited Gunite Pools H. Forbes Charter Co. Ltd. Harbour Safaris Ltd. Hertz Hospitality Marketing & Management Island Destination Services Ltd. Island Human Resources Island Sun Tours Ltd. Island Wholesale Ltd.

J.S. Johnson & Co. Ltd. Jet Blue John Watling’s Distillery Johnson Bros. DBA Little Switzerland KPMG Leisure Travel & Tours Luciano’s of Chicago Restaurant Ltd. Majestic Tours Mandara Spa Milo B. Butler Ministry of Tourism MMT Alternative Energy Solutions My Own Water Sports Ltd. Nassau Airport Development Company Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board National Art Gallery of The Bahamas OMG Bahamas Ltd. Palm Cay Pearl Investment Management Group Ltd Physio Care Ltd. Pirate Republic Brewing Company PITDA PricewaterhouseCoopers Pure Salt Design Purity Bakery Q-Tech Communications Quencom Reel Dreams Sport Fishing Charters Ridge Enterprises Ltd. Royal Bank of Canada/RBC FINCO Rum Cay Media Group Ltd. Sandyport Development Company Limited Serena Williams Media & Public Relations SIDDA Communications Sigmatex Lanier Textiles Sky Bahamas Airlines Limited SMG Bahamas Smith Orloff & Assoc Southwest Airlines SportsArt Fitness America Standard Textile Stuart Cove’s Aqua Adventures Sunryse Information Management Sunsplash Events Ltd. The University of The Bahamas - CHIMI Tristar Insurance Agents & Brokers Tropic Ocean Airways Tru Bahamian Food Tours Turning Point - Consultants Underwater Explorers Society UWI Centre For Hotel & Tourism Management Whittingham Design Consultants Ltd Zamar Productions

HOTEL MEMBERS

Abaco Beach Resort Abaco Inn Atlantis Paradise Island Resort Bay View Suites Paradise Island Bell Channel Inn Bimini Big Game Club

Blue Marlin Cove Condominium & Marina British Colonial Hilton Caerula Mar Club Cape Santa Maria Carriearl Boutique Hotel Castaway Resort & Suites Casuarinas Club Peace & Plenty Comfort Suites Conch Inn Hotel & Marina Ltd. Coral Sands Hotel Embrace Resort Fernandez Bay Village Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar Grand Isle Resort & Spa Grand Lucayan Graycliff Hotel Green Turtle Club Hawk’s Nest Resort & Marina Hideaways at Palm Bay Hopetown Harbour Lodge LandShark Dive Resort Lyford Cay Club Melia Nassau Beach Resort Ocean West Boutique Hotel Old Bahama Bay Orange Creek Inn Orange Hill Beach Inn Paradise Harbour Club & Marina Paradise Island Beach Club Pelican Bay Lucaya Pigeon Cay Beach Club Resorts World Bimini Bay Romora Bay Rosewood at Baha Mar Runaway Hill Sammy T’s Resort Sandals Emerald Bay Sandals Royal Bahamian Sky Beach Club Resort SLS LUX at Baha Mar Small Hope Bay Lodge Stella Maris Inn Sunrise Beach Club And Villas Sunshine Paradise Swains Cay Bonefish Resort The Abaco Club RC, Ltd. The Four Seasons Ocean Club Tiamo Resorts Treasure Cay Hotel & Resort Valentines Resort & Marina Viva Wyndham Club Fortuna

Staff Photos:

Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association 2018 Leadership Team & Staff EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President CARLTON RUSSELL Vice President of Operations Atlantis Paradise Island P.O. Box N-4777 Nassau, Bahamas Tel: (242) 363-2000 Ext. 69213 Fax: (242) 363 -2964 Email: carlton.russell@atlantisparadise.com

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Immediate Past President STUART BOWE Sr. Vice President Atlantis Paradise Island P.O. Box N-4777 Nassau, Bahamas Tel: (242) 363-3000 Fax: (242) 363-3703 Email: stuart.bowe@atlantisparadise.com Senior Vice President DEAN SPYCHALLA Managing Director Valentine’s Residences Resort & Marina Harbour Island, Bahamas P. O. Box: 1 Tel: (242) 333-1303 Fax: (242) 333-1399 Email: dean@valentinesresort.com Treasurer JAMAL GLOVER General Manager Bay View Village Paradise Island, Bahamas P. O. Box: SS-6308 Paradise Island, Bahamas Tel: (242) 363-2555 Email: jglover@bwbayviewsuites.com Corporate Secretary & Executive Vice President SUZANNE PATTUSCH P.O. Box N-7799 Nassau, Bahamas Tel: (242) 322-8381 Fax: (242) 502-4221 Email: spattusch@BahamasHotels.org Vice President – Nassau-Paradise Island VACANT

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Vice President – Out Islands JEREMY MUTTON General Manager Sandals Emerald Bay, Exuma P. O. Box: F-42654 Exuma, Bahamas Tel: (242) 336-6800 Email: jmutton@grp.sandals.com Vice President – Grand Bahama JACKIE CARROLL Director of Operations Old Bahama Bay P.O. Box: F-42546 Freeport, Grand Bahama Tel: (242) 350-6524 Email: jcarroll@obbresort.com Vice President - Allied Members VERNICE WALKINE President & CEO Nassau Airport Development Co. P.O. Box AP-59229 Tel: (242) 702-1016 Fax: (242) 325-2382 Email: vernice.walkine@nas.bs Chairperson – Small Hotels NINA MAYNARD Owner/Operator The Corner Hotel P.O. Box: CR-55255 Nassau, Bahamas Tel: (242) 361-7445 Email: n1963@bahamas.net.bs Chairperson – Workforce Development BEVERLY SAUNDERS President & Managing Director The Learning Connection P.O. Box: CB-11405 Tel: (242) 376-2722 Email: beverly.saunders@cablebahamas.com Chairperson – CABRA ROBERT ‘SANDY’ SANDS (4.7.18) Chairperson – Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Bd. FRED LOUNSBERRY (4.7.18) Chairperson – Association of Bahamas Marinas BASIL SMITH (4.7.18)

Lifetime Directors

George Myers Restaurants Bahamas

Nettica R. Symonette Casuarinas Cable Beach

Andres Wiberg Cable Beach Manor (4.7.18)

J. Barrie Farrington Retired

William Saunders Deceased