Opposite the busy Nassau Bahamas cruise terminal, where it is not uncommon to see four or five passenger vessels anchored immediately, is a slice of tropical paradise with miles of white sand beach and turquoise water.
Once allocated to mansions, the area of 17 acres on the west end of the Bahamas island is acquired by an unlikely programmer: the Royal Caribbean cruise line.
Following the success of the private island of the Bahamas, Cococay, the company is expanding its offers based on its land with a beach club scheduled to open in December. The planned project of $ 165 million will have three swimming pools, the world’s largest bathing bar and beach themes.
“We are creating the final day of the beach with the authentic atmosphere, colors and flavors of a lost Bahamian Beach Club,” said Jay Schneider, head of Royal Caribbean’s product innovation, during a tour of the construction site. “There will be local art, music and locally inspired kitchen balanced with American amenities.”
Many cruise lines have private Caribbean islands, but the exclusive idea of the Beach Club is part of a new trend amidst the demand for cruises and the seemingly unstoppable megaships. The carnival also manufactures a beach club called Celebration Key, which is expected to open in July on the island of Grand Bahama. Royal Caribbean is developing two destinations on the beach in Mexico to open in 2026 and 2027.
Everyone is not enthusiastic about Cruise Lines real estate portfolios. Some Bahamas say they have been bored by their land by foreign investors and are worried that new attractions will divert tourism dollars away from excursions managed by local suppliers.
“Tourists will go from the cruise ship to the private club back on board without spending a penny on the real Nassau,” said Ray Jacobs, a market seller and a captain.
To mitigate these complaints, Royal Caribbean has worked with the Bahamas government on the work of the Beach Club in a partnership that will give the Bahamas a 49 %shareholder share. Another 1 percent of gross profits will improve local attractions, the company said.
“We want to connect the locals to big projects to ensure that everyday Bahamas have access to tourism opportunities,” said Latia Duncombe, general manager of the Ministry of Tourism, Investment and Aviation of the Bahamas.
Among these opportunities are the approximately 400 jobs to be completed by the Bahamas at the Beach Club, Royal Caribbean said. Local businesses will be awarded lucrative food and drinks, excursions, safety, entertainment and other services.
The cruise line also stated that it would adhere to the principles of company viability, working with the Bahamas for recycling, waste reduction programs and environmental protection.
‘They just scanned’
Despite the ability to enhance tourism, some Bahamas believe that the government has hosted foreigners too much. Toby Smith, a local businessman, applied for public land on the west end of the island of Paradise in 2012 for a beach project that would include the restoration of the lighthouse of the island of Hog, which has been damaged since the 1980s.
After a process, Mr Smith finally received approval in January 2020. A month later, after hearing rumors that Royal Caribbean had shown interest in the same land, Mr Smith approached the government for clarity, but never heard back. In March 2020, most of the land he promised to Mr Smith was awarded to Royal Caribbean.
“I spent eight years of negotiation and waiting for my sustainable, gradual and cultural beach work to be leased and just swept and arrived there in six weeks,” Mr Smith said. “It’s a shame.”
Dionisio d’Aguillar, the Minister of Tourism at the time, acknowledged that Mr Smith had been sent to the land for the Earth before Royal Caribbean asked the same plot.
“Royal Caribbean emerged with an attractive proposal for the Bahamas people – an agreement that seeks to create several businessmen in several areas of service,” Mr D’Aguillar said during a 2021 television interview on Eyewitness News.
“It’s a harsh environment out there, and you have to have a few long dollars,” he added.
Mr Smith launched a legal battle against the government and, last year, was given the right to take on his case at Privy Council in London, the Supreme Court for the Bahamas, a former British colony.
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean amended its lease with the government in April 2024, so as not to include the overlapping acres of land that promised Mr Smith and built a wall at the construction site to separate the two plots.
Lie down like 1 %
Avid Royal Caribbean Cruisers are excited about the beach club and do not know mostly the local tensions it has created.
“We are probably in Nassau more than 20 times and we have been doing all the trips, so we usually stay on board when we stop there,” said Alan Rivera, 47, a car salesman from Tampa, Florida, who recently celebrates his anniversary with his wife.
“The beach club is a good idea because when you have made all the trips, all you really want to do is lie down on the beach,” said Rivera. “We’ll come back to try it.”
One day earlier, the utopia of the sea anchored on the private island of Royal Caribbean for its “perfect day at Cococay”. Experience gives a taste of the beach club’s offer. When the corridor hit the pier at 8am, a flood of visitors made their way all over the island in the thematic departments that seemed to offer something for everyone.
Many of the attractions are included in the fare: virgin beaches, pool and freshwater restaurants. For an extra charge, there is Hideaway beach only for adults. The Coco Beach Club, with excess water and private butt. and a water park with the largest water transparency in the area.
“Private islands are usually intended for 1 %,” said Priscilla McKenzie, 33, drinking a daisy as she was sitting in the crystalline waters of the Hideaway beach.
While Cococay feels almost like an extension of Royal Caribbean’s ships, the company says the new Paradise Beach Club will feel Bahamian and focus exclusively on the Beach Club experience. The capacity will be covered at 40 % of the cruise ship volume, with tickets offered on the basis of the first preparation. The limit, the cruise line said, will ensure that excursions and local attractions will continue to attract passengers.
Mr Schneider, by Royal Caribbean, said the company examined two basic measurements when inventing itineraries and investing in destinations: “High appeal and high satisfaction”.
The Greek island of Santorini, for example, has a very high appeal, but has low satisfaction due to the excessive.
Nassau, with a generally low rate of satisfaction and appeal between passengers, is still strategically an important destination for Basilica Caribbean. Recent surveys by the company have found that Nassau had lost the call for cruise ships that had already experienced the most important sights and activities. Those who gave low satisfaction scores were looking for a wider variety of activities.
“With the beach club and revenue that will increase for wider tourist investment in Nassau, we believe it will play a role in increasing its appeal and satisfaction for our guests,” Mr Schneider said.
But many ordinary Bahamas working in the port, the local market and restaurants are not convinced.
“The only opportunity to sell excursions is when cruise passengers come out of the port,” said Doug Nance, an independent guide and driver. “When the beach club opens, they are just going to reach another boat and go in the opposite direction.”
Mr. Jacobs, the captain of the boat, recently visited the boat by boat and said he was shocked to see that the Earth had been destroyed and the trees broke. Royal Caribbean said it had removed 75 percent of plants considered by the government and maintained 30 % of indigenous trees during construction. The company said that all these plants and trees will be refined alongside the new native species.
Driving across the coast, John McPhee, president of Ride Bahamas, said that despite the government’s efforts to work with Royal Caribbean, the fact that Mr Smith was unable to execute his vision proves systematic failures with the tourism model.
“I learned as a young boy that every time a piece of land comes out in the ocean, he creates a conflict,” Mr McPhee said. “A current disorder where smaller fish are trapped, and larger fish come and feed them.”
“Royal Caribbean has benefited from it,” he added.
But some are optimistic. Derek Schofield, 55, who is working on logistics for several excursion companies, said that creating new jobs is beneficial to the development of the tourism industry.
“Some of us can go home with fewer dollars in our wallets at the end of the day,” he said. But, he added, “if we look at the biggest picture, this project will boost the tourism economy and open opportunities for many Bahamas, putting more food on the table for the Bahamas families.”
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