By Gerrino J. Saunders
Journal Staff Writer

Hurricane Hole Superyacht Marina at Paradise Landing is one of the
most popular marinas in The Bahamas, and this past weekend it received
a major boost with the opening of Carnivale Bahamas, a Chicago based
Latin-Fusion restaurant now with a location on the world-famous
Paradise Island.
It was an extravagant grand opening with hundreds of guests that lasted
two fun filled days (Dec 13 th -14 th ) with a wide array of cultural
entertainment, food and drinks and lots of famous personalities.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Investments and
Aviation Chester cooper was the special guest after taking part in the
ground breaking ceremony for the $12 million project in the summer of
2023.
He described it as a “great day for Paradise Island and a great day for
The Bahamas.”
He also said, “really it’s an inspiration to other investors to come here
and also experience the joys and hopefully the successes of investing in
the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”
The new restaurant is expected to employ over 200 Bahamians and has
promised to work closely with local producers and suppliers to keep the
restaurants stocked.
Mr. Cooper said, “I think if you look at the investment in the project
itself it’s $10 million to $12 million into the economy of The Bahamas,
using Bahamian contractors, perhaps hiring hundreds of workers during
the construction phase.

“There are also spin-off opportunities and possibilities. Not to mention
the new tax revenues and a general boost to Paradise Island and the
tourism product. So, I think overall, the impact would be more than just
the numbers that we referenced. I think it’s going to be exponential over
a period of time,” said the Tourism Minister.
Co-owner William Marovitz explained that he is a friend of Michael
Jordan and fell in love with Nassau and Paradise Island while visiting to
take part in the annual Michael Jordan celebrity golf tournament hosted
by the Atlantis, when the opportunity to invest in the property at
Hurricane Hole was presented to him and for him and his partners it was
a great opportunity to invest.
The new restaurant will accommodate more than 350 people with its
iconic indoor-outdoor experience.
In sharing a bit of what the restaurant has to offer Mr. Marovitz said “It’s
about entertainment from the moment you walk in the door to the
moment you leave, everybody having a good time in a great ambience,
great food, wonderful service and just having fun. Our motto is we say
yes to everything, and I look forward to welcoming you at Carnivale in
The Bahamas Paradise Island, Hurricane Hole.”
The new Paradise Island location is the only location outside the U.S
with the original restaurant located in Chicago, Illinois with another
location expected in Miami, Florida.
Mr. Cooper noted that that the Ministry of tourism has already begun to
market the Paradise Island restaurant in the U.S. through the Ministry of
Tourism in Chicago.
According to Marovitz at the Chicago restaurant in November they
hosted a function with the Bahamas tourism board and had
visitors from a variety of cities in the U.S to promote Carnivale
Bahamas.

He said American Airlines is also starting a non-stop flight from
Chicago to The Bahamas and they were also invited to the Chicago
promotional event.

Mr. Marovitz said many people already know and love Carnivale and
have booked direct flights from Chicago to Nassau on American
Airlines to attend various events at the restaurant like the upcoming New
Years Day festivities.
Sir Sidney Poitier is also prominently figured at the new restaurant with
a Sidney Poitier private room where the walls are decorated with photos
of Sir Sidney at various events and stages of his life.