Prime Minister Perry Christie announced on Monday that come February, there will be over 1,000 jobs available for the people of Grand Bahama.

At the opening of the National Training agency, the nation’s chief said there are a few major tourism projects in the works that will make way for thousands of jobs on the Family Islands.

“We [ the government] hope that by the end of December, or most certainly by the end of November, over 1,000 jobs would have been created in Grand Bahama,” he said.

“For that now, we have to anticipate, we have to prepare people for these programmes and we have to be aggressive in doing so.”

“We can’t have other countries trying to catch us up. Instead we have to just make it happen.”

Mr. Christie also spoke to the hundreds of jobs that will be created as a result of the opening of a major resort on Bimini.

“The Resorts World Casino will open in Bimini later this month, on July 28th,” he said.

“This means that there will 400 more employed people within the next two weeks.”

“The purchase and planned upgrade of the Palms Hotel into a Marriott Courtyard brand by international investors will also provide more jobs. Truly we are looking at thousands of jobs from inception to completion of all of these projects and you can expect those numbers to double and triple as we go on.”

According to the prime minister, there are talks of another major hotel brand moving to a Family Island, not known for tourism.

“Just today I spoke with Khaalis Rolle and Mr. Boltron Bethel about another huge investment we want to take to the investment board as early as tomorrow,” he said.

“This will be for another island destination in The Bahamas, where the people are ready to go now. The only question for me is whether or not The Bahamas ought to be given the concessions that they would want.”

“We have to go back to Cabinet and to the discussion table and talk about lowering the concessions they wish the government to make. They want to make a major investment that will hire hundreds of Bahamians in an island where they’re not hired now.”

Mr. Christie said it’s his plan that tourism is spread more throughout the Family Islands rather than just being concentrated in New Providence and Grand Bahama.