Last Updated: Saturday, March 13, 2010 : 10:14 PM
Home / News _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
News
$70m cruise plan
The Bridgetown Port. (FP)
Published on: 11/25/2009.
by RICKY JORDAN
BARBADOS SHOULD have a multi-million-dollar cruise pier, homeport facility and cultural/historical theme park in the area of the Bridgetown Port within the next two years.
The project is partly aimed at attracting more than a million cruise passengers annually - some 250 000 more than current arrivals. Ken Atherley, divisional manager of Barbados Port Inc. (BPI),told the MIDWEEK NATION the project is due to start in April if given the appropriate approval.
The BPI will develop five acres of adjoining land that currently houses the Sugar Terminal.
Projected cost so far for the cruise pier and homeport facility is $70 million, but no estimate is available for the theme park which, according to Atherley, would be subject to the design and range of ideas from businesses involved.
Atherley said the land being looked at was near enough to the port and cruise terminal to improve on their product and range of options while optimising on cruise passenger spending.
"The area has the potential to expand our shopping base while the theme park will speak to our history, culture and Barbadiana," he said, noting that the theme park was part of a strategy to create a tourism experience for cruise passengers and to develop a sustainable recreational option in the off-season.
Atherley said cruise arrivals between January and December would increase by about ten per cent this year, and given global trends, there was potential for further growth. Therefore. BPI's plan was "to move passenger numbers past one million" in an expanded pier.
The homeport facility, meanwhile, would also accommodate an expected increase in passengers as a result of a national "sail-and-stay" programme.
Noting that about 15 to 20 per cent of arriving cruise passengers usually came on homeport vessels, he said these passengers - mainly those flying from England and Europe to board here - would be encouraged to stay on the island before or after their cruise.
This plan will involve the Barbados Tourism Authority, he stated, as well as Carnival Corporation's cruise liners, with which Barbados has a three-year contract that ends December 31.
"We are looking to get the contract with Carnival Corporation extended," he noted, adding that the sail-and-stay programme would be augmented by that extension.
"The project is open to local and international firms. We expect firms with the relevant skills will form appropriate joint venture groups to bid," he added, noting that the Barbados Port Inc. had already published an advertisement inviting "expressions of interest . . .to enter a joint venture agreement to build the cruise pier and ancillary facilities".
Among requirements for any applicant is "a net worth which demonstrates its capacity to undertake a project in excess of BDS$100 million".
Conceding that promoting such a large project seemed unusual in the current recession, Atherley said not only was it a long-term venture but a move by the Port to further embrace the private sector while developing its cruise product.
rickyjordan@nationnews.com
15 comment found!
Re: John : 12/2/2009
I think it is the fourth too...
The British crown backed the major land reclamation in the 1950s, then an expansion in around 1978 was carried out (source: http://www.caricomlaw.org/docs/Deep%20Water%20Harbour%20(Expansion%20and%20Improvement)%20(Exemption%20from%20Duties).pdf ), there was then the expansion not too long ago around 2005, and then this one. At this rate Barbados can expect to be doing another by 2025.
No Opposition just being realistic : 12/2/2009
HEY stupseeee to suggest that it is more important to build a pier than to build a hospital is at best flawed thinking and at worse, unbelievable. I am all for development but at what cost? The USA has development, and as such there is good acute and chronic care available if you can afford it. The USA is in the middle of a battle so that more people can access healthcare. Health care access can easily be considered the right to live, so for anyone to even begin to make it seem like a new hospital is a trivial expense is beyond belief.
The suggestion of private development of a hospital makes no sense. It is a real bad step
The fundamental problem with the US model is that there is a high level of profit maximization in that system, as a result you have “cherry picking”, claim denials and excessive fraud in that system. That system is the only one in the world where someone can go bankrupt because of illness. I made that explanation because private investment will be a catalyst for profit maximization and not social welfare, the result will only disadvantage Bajans.
The funding of hospitals and other social institutions is where the international lending agencies do focus much of their resources, there are at least 4 lending sources that could be triggered to finance such a project excluding the IMF; which is always the lender of very last resort. The CDB, EIB, IADB, World Bank and increasingly the Chinese banks could all function as lenders for such a project or even a local Bond issue.
The bottom line is that BIM needs to cover its bases, everyone is interested and encouraged by growth and development but everyone must one day deal with illness, do we then go to the Pier for help? Better yet, do you think if one of those same passengers goes into cardiac arrest that they want to go back to the Pier or to a functional medical facility? Let us get serious
: 12/1/2009
Its amazing, I believe this is the fourth time this project is coming up. The last time it was a huge go ahead when the Coast Guard Base was built. I would love to see this project come up but I am not gonna hold my breath
stupseeee : 11/30/2009
bajans opposing growth again? Bajans is go to America and marvel at progress, and when its time for them to experience some progress they get cold feet.
I love the idea of the tourism port. GREAT IDEA!
We can not spend the 70 mil on any hospital because barbados needs a new hospital that if modernize to America's standard would need a capital initial injection of 300 Million. The world bank or the IMF would not back such a loan, so it would take a private investor to come in and do it. Historically hospitals do not operate at a profit in the Caribbean so it is not attractive to any investor.
If I had my way, I would turn the hospital into a nursing home. I cant think any other option than to burn it down and build again.
dont become a target : 11/29/2009
all those people in one place.
hope security can handle it.
A Concerned Bajan : 11/28/2009
Do you have a difficult name? e.g. spelled differently from the "norm"? I'm not excusing it but is your name frequently misspelled elsewhere?
In Agreement with Mr.Broomely : 11/27/2009
I agree with the statement about the many , many gov't offices that need a make-over. I believe that a set of procedures need to be put in place and followed by all in these offices. One of great concern to me is the Immigration Department. The services can be so poor that it is scary. I went to the immigration department to get a travel document which I was to pick up the day before I travelled. When I went to pick it up there were errors in the spelling of both my first and last name. Ok I thought, mistakes do happen so I was told later that same day to return and the correction would be made. Can you believe that when I left work to go to collect the document there was still an error in my name. I had to wait another hour or so to have this correction made. Others were travelling the same day and were also waiting after being told when they came to collect hat the document was not prepared. Trust me that document is a template which needs very little info added and it cannot take 20 minutes to complete.So why wasn't it done before...because we will HAVE to come and wait for it because we neeed it to travel... Made me wonder who they had working there- all that was necessary was basically copying information from one document to another and the immigration department employees made it seem like a unbelievable feat. Please guys i understand that they have been some difficulties in the organization but more attention needs to be paid to effeciency....please
In Agreement : 11/25/2009
I think this is a great idea for Barbados, so many times I see on television the ads for Jamaica, Bahamas and other Caribbean countries, and I often wonder were is Barbados, I know we have way more to to offer this world. I hope this project will make way for more.
Tampa, Florida
: 11/25/2009
I wonder when the Prime Minister going to shake -up the Customs Department,the Immigration Departement and Waterworks Department (Barbados Water Authority) as he promised. This Prime Minister seem to be all bark and no Bite.
Questioning Cruise Plan : 11/25/2009
First of all, I would lke to know what is meant by "theme park", is there actually going a be a theme park or is it just going to be a little area? It is also unclear to me what five acre land is going to be developed(land is NOT visible through google maps). Will this $70 million cruise plan BEAUTIFY the sprawling(UGLY) port???? If so, how???
In Agreement!!!!!!!!!!! : 11/25/2009
I alluaded the person name B Bajan,his ideas is amazing,given the big development of supposedly newer harbour facilaties planned,i'm shock to know the only serving care facilaties in the island can't be updated with newer technological requirement to serve better for the people of this wonderful island,perhaps they should make this person planning officer of the island,Mr B Bajan continue your relenless effort to help educate the masses of your island,maybe they will think seriously after reading your plight for spending $70m just to promote tourism,where it might well be better spent else where..
Bajan in Toronto....
: 11/25/2009
I hope after all of this the cruise ships and passengers are still coming and spending, given the high prices of everything in Barbados.
Barbados.
Really Good Job : 11/25/2009
I am all for the investment in tourism related infrastructure, however I am just curious when some invest in going to be made in a new or improved hospital?. I am completely amazed, disgusted, frustrated and quite frankly annoyed by the level of urgency that successive administrations have given this issue. I understand that in a resource limited economy, some things have to take priority and there is no way everything can be done at the same time. I get that.
Let us consider this, edu-tech, south cost sewage project, highway expansion, Kensington oval redevelopment, the Airport expansion, the concord museum and now a port expansion were all done or planned.
I am not saying that all these projects were frivolous, what I am saying is that while this was happening the hospital has be getting progressively worse, the same hospital that 300,000 people need as a resource just in case a twist of bad luck hits them. So here it is that we have multiple golf courses, new stadium, million dollar condos and all the trapping of development and the one thing that all Bajans will need at some point in life is a complete mess.
Really, Really, Really good Job. That free education system is paying off with interest.
While residents subsidize water rates for the sector? : 11/25/2009
I wonder when the BWA will plug the underground leaks and stop having residents subsidize the tourism sector?
I wonder too, when the BWA will get a proper manager to pay attention to the control side of management responsibility, in that government unit?
Why are Bajans paying for such poor management performance, I don't know? Isn't the free education at Cave Hill translating into better management ideas?
$70 million cruise plan : 11/25/2009
Long overdue.
More Local News
TODAY'S CARTOONS
3/13/2010
Most Emailed Stories
Prophets warn Bajans . . . again(3/7/2010)'If you feel the earth shake, run' (3/9/2010)Thompson's shuffle(3/10/2010)Ster-ling Cup win(3/7/2010)Bajan loses legs in Afghanistan (3/7/2010)Hindus want to spread the word(3/9/2010)Good Gold glitz(3/7/2010)Husbands back on top with Senate pick(3/11/2010)Long ride(3/12/2010)Fashion to farming(3/7/2010)
Do you think UWI should reduce its intake of students?
 |