Bahamas News
South Florida-to-Bahamas cruises to resume earlier than expected; news comes against backdrop of ongoing Port development
#TheBahamas, June 19, 2021 – Minister of Tourism and Aviation, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar, told House Members that he was “delighted to report” that cruises from South Florida to The Bahamas will resume, in many instances, far earlier than anticipated.
This includes cruises from the Port of Miami, the cruise capital of the world. Minister D’Aguilar was making his contribution to the 2021/2022 National Budget Debate in the House of Assembly.
“As you know, Mr. Speaker, the American Center for Disease Control or CDC, has prevented cruises from restarting for some time and, given the CDC’s seemingly disinterest in helping the cruise industry to get back on track, cruise industry executives were telling me a couple of months back that, ‘don’t expect cruises, starting from the United States, to resume until September, possibly November or even just before Christmas.’
“Well, Mr. Speaker, Royal Caribbean has announced that six of its award winning ships will begin sailing from major U.S. cruise ports in Florida and Texas in July and August.”
Minister D’Aguilar said the cruise line’s “comeback” will kick off on July 2 in Miami with the Freedom of the Seas embarking on a special Fourth of July weekend sailing to Perfect Day at Coco Cay in The Bahamas.
“By the end of August, 12 Royal Caribbean ships will be cruising once again across The Bahamas, Caribbean, Alaska and Europe. In the coming weeks, the cruise line will announce plans to reintroduce its full fleet around the globe by year’s end.”
Minister D’Aguilar said Carnival Cruise Line has announced a similar ‘return to service’ schedule.
“And so, Mr. Speaker, I can confidently announce that the road to resumption of cruises in our region is underway, in fact, it is imminently about to happen so Bay Street and other companies and individuals involved in making a living from cruise passengers can begin, finally, to get ready to restart their livelihoods.”
Mr. D’Aguilar told House Members that, in 2019, a record-breaking 5.4 million cruise passengers visited The Bahamas contributing almost $100 million to the Treasury in Head Tax, while pumping almost $400 million directly into the hands of everyday Bahamians, small and medium-sized businesses, and other businesses.
“With the cruise business just starting to get going again, I want to remind everyone just how economically impactful cruise passengers were for Bahamians since this $400 million in spend typically does not pass through some middleman but, passes directly from the visitor to the Bahamian with an immediate ability to spend, as cash, with no monies owed!,” Minister D’Aguilar said.
Minister D’Aguilar said the news comes amidst the backdrop of the “tremendous work underway at the Nassau Cruise Port.” Located at the Prince George Dock, the Cruise Port is undergoing a much-needed expansion and upgrade with $250 million planned to be spent “to bring about this incredible transformation.” New and expanded berths are currently under construction; an iconic arrivals hall will be built next, followed by a Junkanoo Museum, a Coral Reef attraction and an amphitheatre – all to be used to promote Bahamian culture and emphasize the importance of the environment to the almost 4 million visitors expected to utilize the beautiful new Nassau Cruise Port once it is completed in 2022.
Mr. D’Aguilar said: “This Nassau Cruise Port Project will not cost the Bahamian taxpayer a dime since private sector money will be used to finance its construction and operation. Only Bahamian citizens will be allowed to own and operate stores/stalls, restaurants and other businesses in the Nassau Port area, not to mention the vastly improved working conditions for taxis, tour buses and other excursion operators.”
The Tourism and Aviation Minister said the fees earned by the government from the Port will increase from approximately $2 million each year to approximately $6 million each year since the government will now receive the VAT on the passenger facility charge paid by each visitor to the Port.
“So, we getting a new and expanded port, it won’t cost the Treasury a dime, the Port will be exclusively available to Bahamian small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, ground transportation and excursion operators will benefit from better working conditions, the port will be managed, as it is right now, by an all-Bahamian team.
“I am extremely optimistic about the redevelopment of the Cruise Port of Nassau and I am convinced it will be a huge success for The Bahamas, ultimately bringing more passengers to Nassau and thereby, positively impacting the lives and livelihoods of scores of Bahamians at-large,” Mr. D’Aguilar added.
By Matt Maura
Release: BIS
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
A hardline strategy that reduced murders, gunfire, and collateral deaths
The Bahamas, February 8, 2026 – What happens when police stop routinely granting bail to high-risk suspects and aggressively execute outstanding warrants? In The Bahamas, the answer in 2025 was fewer murders, fewer gunshots, and safer communities.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested 4,337 individuals on outstanding warrants last year, ensuring suspects were brought directly before the courts instead of being released back onto the streets. At the same time, police significantly curtailed the use of police bail for high-risk and repeat offenders, particularly those already entangled in violent disputes.
Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said the shift was informed by hard lessons from previous years. Intelligence reviews showed that
many homicide victims were not random targets, but men already wanted by law enforcement and — critically — by other criminals. When released on bail, those individuals often became targets themselves, triggering retaliatory shootings that spilled into neighbourhoods, roadways and public spaces.
By keeping high-risk suspects in custody pending court appearances, police say they disrupted that cycle — removing both potential offenders and potential victims from the streets.
The impact was stark. Murders declined by 31 percent in 2025, falling from 120 in 2024 to 83, the largest percentage decrease in homicides since national tracking began in 1963 and the lowest murder count in nearly two decades.
Police leaders say the strategy also reduced the collateral damage that had increasingly alarmed communities. Innocent residents had been caught in “sprays of gunfire” as targeted attacks unfolded in residential areas, at traffic stops, and in public settings.
Gun-violence indicators reflected the change. Gunshot reports fell by 35 percent, while incidents detected by ShotSpotter technology declined by 29 percent, confirming that fewer shots were being fired across the country.
“Gunshots ringing out and cutting through our peaceful paradise were down remarkably,” Commissioner Knowles said, attributing the improvement to decisive enforcement, tighter bail practices, and sustained pressure on offenders.
Police also intensified enforcement against breach of bail conditions, charging and detaining more suspects than in any previous reporting period. Officers say the approach removed the opportunity for repeat offending while matters were before the courts.
Police leadership said the results go beyond statistics. By limiting bail for high-risk suspects and executing warrants at scale, the strategy saved lives, protected bystanders, and restored confidence in public safety.
In 2025, fewer people were hunted, fewer bullets were fired, and fewer families were left grieving — a shift police say was no accident, but the result of deliberate, hardline choices.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
