Downtown Fears Over Royal Caribbean's PI Project
Retailers and straw vendors fear that downtown Nassau will decline due to Royal Caribbean's Paradise Island beach club, despite assurances of increased business.
Michael Maura, CEO of Nassau Cruise Port, forecasts a rise in annual passenger volumes from 1.8m to four million over two years, with only one million visiting the beach club.
"I grew up in the downtown area Straw Market, besides even being in tourism for many, many years,"
Cincinetti Hall, owner of All Things Straw, expressed concerns that Royal Caribbean passengers will be transported directly to Paradise Island, leaving little time for downtown shopping.
Author's summary: Downtown fears linger over Royal Caribbean's project.
- Royal Caribbean's annual passenger volumes are expected to increase to four million.
- Only one million passengers will visit the Paradise Island beach club.
- Some vendors fear that passengers will not have time to shop downtown.