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pricing Pan-Caribbean tour franchisee Insurance ‘stalemate’ over takes on Garden of the Groves $50m fire payout • Chukka’s Bahamian partner in management deal A KEY Grand Bahama tourism destination is being • Includes ‘intent to purchase’ taken over by the Bahamian franchisee of a pan-Caribkey GB tourism asset bean tour operator through a management agreement that • Both sides ‘feeling our way’ includes an option to later acquire the asset, Tribune as tie-up in its infancy Business can reveal. BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Sean Basden, who is also the principal of Taino Beach and Flamingo Resorts, yesterday confirmed he has both acquired the Chukka Caribbean franchise “for The Bahamas” and taken over the Garden of The Groves’ management with effect from December 1, 2025. Responding to this newspaper’s inquiries, he affirmed that the “ultimate plan” is to build upon the Garden’s 50-year heritage and enhance its appeal as a destination for stopover visitors, cruise tourists and local residents - including Carnival’s passengers at the nearby $600m
Celebration Key development where Mr Basden and Chukka already operate the water sports and activities. Declining to go into detail, given that the Garden of The Groves’ management transition and handover is in its early stages, Mr Basden nevertheless confirmed that he and Chukka are taking over an asset once regarded as one of the Caribbean’s top botanical gardens following the passing of its previous operators, Erika and Ed Gates. “Yes, I did,” he told Tribune Business of the deal. “We’re still in the planning process. We just took over the management on December 1.” Well-placed sources, speaking to this newspaper on condition of anonymity, said Mr Basden and Chukka were especially interested in developing an alternative off-site tour and excursion destination that could cater to Carnival customers when rough weather meant
GARDEN OF THE GROVES
DESTINATION - See Page B8
Abaco resort buyers to ‘bring Bluff House back’ BY ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net A WELL-known Abaco resort will enjoy increased accommodations, services and staff following the closing of its purchase by VIP Marinas late last year. The Bluff House Beach Resort will become the 15th marina in the buyer’s portfolio following its end-November 2025 sale by BHH Ltd, representing “a group of investors who owned the property for 14 years prior. It is now co-owned by Austin and Jenny Cameron, together with Dan and Felecia
Ongley, who have pledged not to “lose the charm and the authenticity of what we fell in love with here” as they plan the resort’s new and improved future. And, to help address Abaco’s housing shortage, Mr Cameron said another structure dedicated to staff housing may be built if needed. It will accompany the most recently-built staff quarters, which were completed around May last year under the resort’s prior ownership. Mr Cameron said a ferry and a resort boat will be used to transport persons to and from mainland Abaco.
Currently employing 24 persons, and with Molly McIntosh staying as general manager, Ms Ongley, the resort's chief operating officer, said staffing levels at Bluff House will eventually grow as the existing workforce is strengthened through training and development. “We really want to be good stewards of what's happening here on the island,” she said. “Our hope is to be one of the best employers on the island so people love to come here and work, and as we grow, grow that where people have opportunities not only to come to
Realtor aiming to beat 40% sales value jump BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net BAHAMIAN realtors and developers were yesterday said to have enjoyed up to 35-40 percent year-overyear increases in the dollar value of completed sales in 2025, with one asserting that his firm expects to “match or exceed” this performance this year. John Christie, HG Christie's president, told Tribune Business that - while he had expected The Bahamas’ high-end and international market to slow from its COVID “boom” - the falloff had not been as much as expected and now buyer
demand had “picked back up to full strength”. He asserted: “2025 was a great year. In terms of dollar value we were almost 40 percent higher than the year before. In actual sales, we were almost the same. We had 406 sales, and we expect 2026 to be strong. I think we’ll match or exceed last year. “Baker’s Bay put out a memorandum that said in 2025 they were 35 percent higher in dollar value as well. We were in line with them. Everyone is doing pretty well, and Albany has very little inventory, too.
TRANSACTION - See Page B5
Gov’t reveals 2,000-job Mayaguana port project BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Government last night unveiled a renewed bid to spark economic activity in Mayaguana and the south-eastern Bahamas via a public-private partnership (PPP) billed as ultimately creating “2,000 full-time jobs” by developing a maritime port and logistics facility on that island. The Prime Minister’s Office, in a statement, said the Davis administration
is partnering with Global Lead Consultant, which appears to be a newly-formed company describing itself as “a Bahamian consulting firm providing design, development and management services” specifically for this project, in an effort to exploit Mayaguana’s strategic location close to major international shipping lanes. Describing the ‘Port at Mayaguana’ as “a major maritime and logistics project intended to strengthen
PARTNER - See Page B7
ACQUIRE - See Page B8
DAN and Felecia Ongley, co-owners and partners in the Bluff House Beach Resort and Marina.
• Property premiums ‘stable’ but no relief yet • Bahamas carriers kept Melissa to Jamaica • ‘Cover not hard to find’ - affordability is key BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIAN insurers hit a “stalemate” with their global reinsurance partners due to an “unprecedented” year of fire-related losses and payouts in 2025, it was revealed yesterday, with property coverage costs set to remain “flat” for business and homeowners this year. Anton Saunders, RoyalStar Assurance’s managing director, told Tribune Business that his and other local property and casualty underwriters were neither satisfied not dissatisfied with the outcome of the latest annual reinsurance renewal negotiations as they obtained sufficient capacity that will allow clients to secure the protection they need. While Bahamian carriers had successfully argued that the impact of Hurricane Melissa’s multi-billion dollar damages should be confined to Jamaica, and not used to justify premium rate increases for other Caribbean territories, he added that reinsures had countered by pointing to the higher-than-normal fire-related claims payouts in this nation. Mr Saunders described the number and severity of fires as “unprecedented” in 2025, including the multi-million dollar damages and losses stemming from the blaze that destroyed the Solomon’s and Cost Right Old Trail Road outlets, as well as the planned new head office for the Department of Labour and other government agencies. Other fires included the blaze that struck PrimeOne Seafood and Steakhouse, located in the One West Plaza, in early June, plus the Bay Street and Elizabeth Avenue fire in downtown Nassau that destroyed the residences in Victoria Court. Mr Saunders estimated insured fire-related losses and payouts at a total $50m. And, with reinsurers covering the bulk of these claims, the RoyalStar chief said the treaty renewal negotiations will likely result in neither increased nor decreased insurance premium costs for home and business owners seeking to protect their property assets from
PROTECT - See Page B9