A luxury liner recently made its inaugural call on a hidden gem in The Bahamas.

The UK based Island Sky on Monday dropped its anchor in Inagua with 114 cruise ship passengers on board.

Greeting the captain, crew and passengers was Agriculture and Fisheries Minister V. Alfred Gray, who also serves as the island’s representative, alongside State Minister for Transport and Aviation Hope Strachan.

“The underdeveloped state of this island is entirely intentional because the wisdom of Inaguans has caused them to realise that this place should be a haven from city life,” he said.

“This is a sanctuary – a place where weary souls can escape bustling crowds, hustling traffic, gridlock and the stresses of life. Instead, here you will find a massive national park under the protection of the Bahamas National Trust. This island is home to the largest population of West Indian Flamingos found anywhere in the world.”

There are about 80,000 flamingos that live in Inagua.

“As you move through the streets you will find a flourishing population of Bahama parrots. Along with the other birds found here they make this island a birdwatchers dream. We are also known for the wild donkeys, our salt production and our traditional lighthouse among other things. So there is so much in Inagua, you would crave to return here after just one visit,” Minister Gray said.

“We hope that the Island Sky would return here in the near future as we have so much to offer,” Mr. Gray said.
This is not the first time the Island Sky has called on the southern Bahamas.

Earlier this year, it made its inaugural trip to Acklins.

But according to the ship’s captain, Hakan Gustaffsson, Island Sky officials have had their eyes on The Bahamas as a destination for two years.

“We have been to Acklins and we have been to Nassau and we have just started our voyage in the Caribbean in December and so we are excited to be here,” he said. “We have been lucky with the weather.”

Minister Strachan said she is extremely excited about what this all means for Inagua’s economy.

“We look forward to many more trips like this,” she said. “I hope that this can be a part of our marketing strategy. This is a lovely niche group. We can market The Bahamas to other similar voyages. This is a private yacht and this is something that we can target in our marketing.”

Minister Gray added that he hopes the vessel would go to other places in The Bahamas in the near future.

“If I had my way it would stop in Crooked Island or Long Cay or Mayguana,” he said.

Island Sky has seen ports from Europe to Australia, Antarctica to the Arctic.