After five years of negotiations, Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald says it's time his company has a private port in The Bahamas for its flagship brand, Carnival Cruise Lines, and he's "cautiously optimistic" that this is not far off.
Donald stressed at a Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) gathering that "at the core of delivering a great product is delivering a safe product, and safety in the context of total guest experience extends well beyond [Carnival] ships".
"It extends to our destinations. It extends to the shopping, to the shore activities at these destinations and the total experience while in port. I'd like to compliment the local government for their attention to this very important issue, but I repeat: We stand ready and willing to do much more to ensure that the product offering in The Bahamas is as competitive as anywhere else in the Caribbean.
"As an example, our flagship brand, the Carnival Cruise Lines, is the only contemporary cruise brand that does not have a private island in The Bahamas. The brand has spent over five years discussing this with the government and with private entities involved, with ambitious and very detailed investment plans. We're willing to make the investment, but to date, we've been unable to find that definite path forward."
While Donald said the corporation is "cautiously optimistic", he added: "We really would like to make that investment and have a private port for Carnival Cruise Lines, which is far and away the line that brings more guests to The Bahamas than any other line in the world".
Donald noted that, in Nassau, the number one shore destination is "a hotel" - Atlantis, Paradise Island. While acknowledging the resort as "a great destination", the CEO said he believes Nassau could do "much more than that".
"We stand ready and willing to help on any scale, really, from smaller projects to grand projects of scale," he said.
Minister of State for Investments Khaalis Rolle was in the audience.

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