The Nassau guardian
Freeport, Grand, Bahama- Treasure Bay Casino will officially open its doors in Grand Bahama today, taking over operations of what is now the former Isle of Capri.
Isle of Capri announced in May that it would be pulling out of Grand Bahama.
Recently employees there expressed concerns about their future with the casino. However, they were later told of their options – either leave and take severance packages or continue employment under new operators.
It has been a week since Isle of Capri ended operations in Grand Bahama and today, tourism officials are hopeful that under the new Treasure Bay brand, the casino will become a thriving economic beacon in Grand Bahama once more.
In a telephone interview with Minister of Tourism, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, who was on Ragged Island on Monday, he told the Journal that there is tremendous potential for Treasure Bay in Grand Bahama.
He said the casino’s principals were on the island yesterday preparing for today’s opening.
"The casino experience has always been a part of the Grand Bahama experience. So we have chosen – we think – correctly to have Treasure Bay be the new provider of casino operations at Our Lucaya. The principals are on the island and we expect the casino to open as promised (today) and we go on from there," he said.
Minister Vanderpool-Wallace said his ministry has been working arduously to ensure that more tourists are able to visit Grand Bahama, which he says, will bode well for the success of the casino.
"In addition to the marketing work that they will do themselves to bring casino patrons to their facility, their success will come primarily from a large number of people coming to Grand Bahama. That is why we have been working so hard to increase the number of flights coming into Grand Bahama," he said.
"You’ve seen us introduce WestJet for the first time in 30 plus years – coming to Grand Bahama non-stop from Toronto, and we also have additional service coming in on American Eagle. So, we see this is as part of what we need to do for the continued development of tourism in Grand Bahama, and the casino experience is very essential to that."
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham noted that the government has had to foot operational expenses for the casino, but Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace said there are other things that the government has had to do.
"We are continuing to make sure that we have the best possible business relationship with anybody coming into the country. From the Ministry of Tourism’s perspective, we have our marketing funds that we have on a co-op basis with all of the principal partners throughout The Bahamas – in Nassau, in Paradise Island and on Grand Bahama Island," he said.
"So we will find ourselves in the same kind of partnership there (Treasure Bay) as we have elsewhere in The Bahamas."
When the economy rebounds, Minister Vanderpool-Wallace said the resort will be able to reap all the benefits
"The tourism figures are not impressive anywhere in the world, but I think whenever anybody comes and takes a look at the potential that exists for Grand Bahama, they immediately begin to see the opportunities that are there. Treasure Bay obviously subscribes to that belief," he said.
"They are now beginning to recognize that in the medium term, business will turn around, conditions will turn around, the economy will turn around and when it does, they will find themselves, we are sure, in a wonderful position to take full advantage of that."
The minister also noted that there were no challenges or hiccups with regard to the licensing of Treasure Bay with the Bahamas Hotel Corporation nor the Gaming Board, as Treasure Bay is a reputable entity.
According to its website, Foxwoods – Treasure Bay’s parent company – is the largest casino in North America with 340,000 square feet of gaming space in a complex that covers 4.7 million square feet.
Original Article Source
More than 40,000 guests visit Foxwoods each day, according to the website.
