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Please see attached the remarks made today by Grand Bahamas Minister Ginger Moxey:
Commonwealth of the Bahamas
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Carnival Cruise Line holds groundbreaking ceremony in East Grand Bahama
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Honourable GINGER MOXEY MP Minister of Grand Bahama
May 12, 2022
Prime Minister, the Honourable Philip Brough Davis
Deputy Prime Minister I. Chester Cooper and other cabinet colleagues and government officials
Carnival executives, Arnold Donald, Josh Weinstein, Christine Duffy GBPA executives
ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning…
It’s another grand day in Grand Bahama!
This historic moment fulfills a vision that was born many years ago, and was first signed by the previous Progressive Liberal government in May 2017. Today, this groundbreaking ceremony not only represents the breaking of ground to establish the cruise port as a premier destination for cruise passengers, but also marks the immediate start of the construction phase. This is something that our Prime Minister, the Honourable Philip “Brough” Davis, has been pushing for, and something that the residents of Grand Bahama have been anxiously awaiting.
Today’s ceremony also represents a real focus on Grand Bahama Island and what makes it “great” – what makes us “great”. In my most recent past life, I was commissioned to paint “The Real Grand Bahama Experience” – the hidden gems of our island, as developers wanted to experience the soul of Grand Bahama. I later learned that this was for a Carnival Cruise Line project, and I believe that when this cruise port opens, we will achieve a cruise port experience that is immersed in our people, our culture and our experiences.
Ladies and gentlemen, this new government is not here to play. We are here to get results; we are here to execute; we are here to act, to move our economy and this island that I love so much out of darkness and into light.
On this new day, the Davis/Cooper Administration kicks off a development plan that will solidify Grand Bahama’s vision as the “Home of Sailing,” the “Home of Entertainment” (with its pleasure boat brand), and the “Home of Innovation.”
The plan to develop this $200 million cruise port facility also solidifies Carnival’s partnership with the people of Grand Bahama as it provides hundreds of jobs and supplier opportunities. In keeping with our government’s Blueprint for Change, we are committed to empowering the people of The Bahamas; creating a more vibrant and inclusive economy for the people of The Bahamas; and more specifically, providing greater equity and opportunity for the people of The Bahamas in the tourism industry.
We are therefore very pleased to stress that Carnival is committed to supporting our government’s mandate and that all offers will be dedicated exclusively to Bahamian SMEs and our entrepreneurs.
The development of this cruise port will involve Bahamians in every detail, from the construction phase to the day-to-day operations. It will be an innovative and unique facility that will open the doors for Grand Bahama retailers, restaurant operators, transportation providers, shore excursion operators, straw vendors, artisans, Junkanoo groups and others operating in the “Orange Economy” to showcase their products and services to visitors from around the world.
My Department is committed to engaging with the people of Grand Bahama and will be participating in a Community Business Engagement Workshop on June 16-17, focusing on job readiness, upskilling, capacity building, growth and development.
This project signals my administration’s commitment to working with local and international partners to improve and develop Grand Bahama Island and The Bahamas as a whole.
The groundbreaking ceremony proves that delay is not denial and that Grand Bahama Island is on its way to re-emerging as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Western Hemisphere.
Grand Bahama will become the jewel of the Caribbean and a trendsetter for this government’s new cultural economic model, the Orange Economy – the creative industries.
Say ‘thank you’ to Carnival Cruise Line… Arnold Donald, Josh Weinstein, Kristen Duffy, and Giorah Israel and other Carnival senior executives; ‘thank you’ for your support!
I am so excited about the future path for our islands; the rebuilding of our economy, the countless opportunities for the residents of Grand Bahama, and the realization of the Cruise Port Plan that will solidify a new day!
Grand Bahama, our time has come!
Thank you!
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