The Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar says it is critical that the government acquire the Grand Lucayan Resort in Freeport, Grand Bahama. He said it had no other choice but to intervene. He then referred to the Royal Oasis which closed its door more than a decade ago.
Supporting a resolution in the House of Assembly yesterday, the Minister said, “it would be an act of sheer cruelty and neglect toward the people of Grand Bahama for the government to idly stand by and let the Grand Lucayan, a prime hotel property go the way of the Royal Oasis.
“ I would like to make a quick reference to the Royal Oasis comparison. The Royal Oasis closed its doors sometime in 2004. It remains closed today. The International Bazaar which adjoins the hotel is now a ghost town, full of derelict and abandoned buildings.
“It’s state of near total disrepair is proving that once you make the fatal mistake of allowing a hotel to close, it is very very difficult, if not impossible to get it reopened,” Mr. D’Aguilar said.
He pointed to remarks made back in 2008 by then PLP opposition MP Fred Mitchell who said that the then FNM government should have considered purchasing the Royal Oasis Resort.
Mr. D’Aguilar said, “the FNM government was chastised by Mr. Fred Mitchell the then opposition PLP MP for Fox Hill to do more and was quoted in the Nassau Guardian on the 16th of August 2008 as saying, and I quote, ‘the FNM government ought to consider taking special measures to ensure that the Royal Oasis property in Freeport is opened, including buying and developing it if necessary to put people back to work.’”
The Minister then offered up the assurance that the administration will not be timid in making a decision.
“The government will act decisively in the best interest in the people of Grand Bahama and the people of The Bahamas.
“The numbers revealed a tourism sector that has received some traumatic body blows and we were elected in overwhelming numbers to do what is necessary to reverse the trend,” he said.
Mr. D’Aguilar said reopening the Grand Lucayan Resort is not just about the hotel, but about the prosperity of the nation.
