By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
FAMILY Island resorts are “on the ropes but not out” following double-digit first quarter declines in room revenues and nights sold, a senior tourism official warned yesterday, as he urged the wider Bahamian tourism industry to “get our act together” to ward-off the cruise ship challenge.
Kerry Fountain, the Bahama Out Island Promotion Board’s executive director, told Tribune Business that the collective 21 percent and 11 percent declines in room nights sold and revenues for his member properties during the three months to endMarch 2026 could not be blamed solely on the loss of Silver Airways airlift as “a deeper dive” into the figures had uncovered some “disturbing” trends. He had earlier disclosed this at the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) quarterly
‘Disturbingly’ visitor drop higher than seat losses, data reveals
Family Island occupancies unchanged since 1997 at just 41%
Bahamas must ‘get act together’ on product to rival cruise lines
meeting by revealing data that showed the 2025 decline in visitors flying to Marsh Harbour, one of the top Family Island destinations, from Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach compared to the year before was greater than the fall-off in airline seats.
As a result, Mr Fountain argued that The Bahamas - and especially its Family Island hotels - must urgently address a variety of factors besides replacing the
Baha Mar says ‘perfect storms’ drive 14% jump in Q1’s
RevPar
By NEIL HARTNELL and Annelia Nixon Tribune Business Reporters
A BAHAMIAN tour operator yesterday reignited the controversy over ground transportation fares at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) by accusing taxi drivers of “over-charging” tourists - a situation she described as “mind boggling”.
Cheryl Cambridge, proprietor of Cheryl's Bahamas Taxi & Tours, pleaded with the Road Traffic Department and other authorities to intervene as she told the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) quarterly meeting that visitors are “complaining” about having to pay $100
for two persons to take a one-way trip from LPIA to Atlantis.
Describing this as “ridiculous”, she asserted that she “doesn’t charge half the price” sought by taxi drivers while branding the matter “a serious problem” that needs to be addressed by government regulatory agencies. Ms Cambridge called on Latia Duncombe, the Ministry of Tourism’s director-general, who was present at the virtual meeting to “get together” with the Road Traffic Department in a bid to resolve the matter. Her accusations, though, not surprisingly sparked a hostile and combative
GRAND Bahama tourism promoters are targeting a 12-15 percent increase in stopover visitors to the island even though “cruise-led investments” are increasingly dominating the sector and driving a more-than-tripling of visitor numbers in early 2026.
Jillian Williams, brand representative for the Grand Bahama Island Promotion Board, told the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) quarterly meeting
yesterday that increasing stay-over visitors is among its top “strategic priorities” although there are only 1,314 resort rooms on the island at present and the Grand Lucayan’s redevelopment has yet to truly begin. While acknowledging the “higher economic contribution” made by stopover visitors, in terms of per capita spending compared to their cruise passenger counterparts, she did not provide specifics on how the growth targets will be hit in the Grand Lucayan’s
annual 135,000 seats lost with Silver Airways’ June 2025 collapse. Measures include bringing hotel sales distribution “into the 21st century” via digital channels and social media marketing, a move made more urgent by artificial intelligence’s (AI) advance and growing deployment, plus delivering “value for money” on customer service and the overall experience.
BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
BAHA Mar’s president yesterday hailed a “record” 2026 first quarter that saw the mega resort generate a 14 percent increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR), as he asserted: “We’ve got some perfect storms that are supporting The Bahamas as the best place to come to.”
Graeme Davis told the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) first quarter meeting that March’s average 94 percent occupancy rate was “one of our highest” since Baha Mar opened in 2017, and predicted this momentum will be maintained at least to end-June as “our pace is very strong”.
The Cable Brach mega resort’s early 2026 performance was matched by its Paradise
And the Out Island Promotion Board chief asserted that upgrading the on-island guest experience is something that the wider Bahamian tourism industry must swiftly tackle otherwise it will “chase more and more” of its more lucrative stopover visitors - who spend on average 29 times’ more than cruise arrivals - into becoming passengers on these vessels.
Mega resort hails ‘record numbers’ for early 2026
Matched by Atlantis which ‘very, very bullish’ on Q3 ‘Shortening booking window’ on Middle East fears
Island-based rival, which told the same meeting that it beat both 2025’s first comparatives and internal budget targets for the three months to end-March.
Jackson Weech, the BHTA’s president, who is also vice-president and general manager of the Atlantis Royal Towers, signalled
$180m farming, biotech project pledges 100 jobs
BY FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter
jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
THE developer proposing a $180m package of agriculture, energy and biotechnology projects yesterday disclosed that they will create 100 full-time jobs with a ground-breaking feasible as early as this summer if all necessary approvals are obtained.
Preston Drummond, chief executive and chairman of Nassau-based Rock Island Financial, who is leading the initiative, told Tribune Business that the required financing for the projects - many of which will be located in Andros - has already been secured through international partners.
He explained that, at the centre of the push, is a North Andros-based development combining high-tech farming, food processing and renewable energy, backed by private capital and positioned as a response to long-standing Bahamian food security and cost challenges.
“We have 100 percent of the funding in place,” said Mr Drummond. “The funding comes through two NGOs, and myself and my partners are the stewards of that capital.”
“We have the teams for the solar and battery systems, the farm, cold storage and biotech components. We have the plans, and now we need to work with the Government on approvals.” The identities of the two non-profits, or NGOs, was not disclosed.
Mr Drummond said once approvals are obtained, construction could begin within months. “From our perspective, we are ready to go,” he said. “We would ideally like to break ground as early as this summer.”
He added that the development is expected to generate both direct
KERRY FOUNTAIN
JOB VACANCY
Registration Officer (London/Nassau)
An exciting opportunity to work with a well-established ship registry in the capacity of Registration Officer within the global Registration team.
Working within the Registration Team, the key client delivery team of the flag state. The team is vocal point in client delivery and ensure compliance to flag state legal framework and international maritime regulations upon registration of vessels. There is an exciting opportunity to join a global ship registry in the supporting the London Registration Team as a Registration Officer.
The Registration Team is key to provide efficient and clientfocused services to our stakeholders and customers. With clients across the global maritime industry, the team is the vocal point in client delivery and ensures compliance of flag state legal framework and international maritime regulations upon registration of vessels.
The successful candidate will play a key role in the management of the end-to-end registration process and ensure all transactions comply with national and international maritime regulations.
Nature of the role:
A detail-oriented and proactive person to provide delivery of our Ship Registration Department. The successful candidate will be responsible for providing experienced support and guidance to clients to ensure the smooth processing of vessel registrations, certifications, and compliance documentation in accordance with international maritime regulations and registry policies.
Key responsibilities:
1. Provide quality service to clients registering their vessels and registration transactions with the flag administration.
2. Prepare and compile appropriate vessels’ documents to perform the completion of registration transactions, such as delivery of vessels, change of ownerships, court sales, mortgages etc.
3. Advise clients on the registration procedures for each registration transaction, inclusive of relevant legal and statutory requirements.
4. Ensure that relevant office procedures are followed, and during the registration of vessel transactions and information is put into the database.
5. Manage provisional extension whenever the need arises.
6. Issue various ship documents as ensure delivery of service.
7. Document the change of ownership, change in vessel name and other registration transactions.
8. Provide guidance to junior team members and necessary training of team members were required.
Qualifications required:
• Essential:
o Undergraduate Degree-level with law being preferable.
o Previous experience working as supervisory level in a registry (flag or aviation administration) or registration team at shipping company.
o Up to five (5) years or more experience working in a client-based industry; working directly with lawyers would be useful.
o Ability to read and understand mortgages instruments
o Understanding of IMO and other international maritime conventions
o Experience using vessel registration database.
• Desirable:
· Knowledge of Document Management System
· Knowledge business or insurance sector
Personal qualities required:
Attention to detail is essential
Fluent in both written and spoken English
Highly developed written and oral presentation skills in a professional manner
Good critical thinking and analysis skills
Good inter-personal and cross-culture skills
Good team-working skills
Self-motivated and able to work without supervision
Good organisational skills and capable of logical prioritisation of activities
Computer competency is essential
Benefits:
Competitive salary
Annual Leave: 22 days per annum (pro-rated first year) & Bahamas public holidays
Private Medical Insurance
8th May 2026
Handling politics in the workplace
As The Bahamas moves deeper into another lively political season, workplaces across the country often feel the ripple effects of heightened debate, strong opinions and national excitement. While civic engagement is important, employers and employees alike must strike a careful balance to ensure productivity does not take a back seat to partisan energy.
One of the most effective ways to maintain focus is by setting clear workplace expectations. Employers should reinforce policies that encourage respectful dialogue while discouraging excessive political discussions during working hours. This is not about silencing opinions,
FERGUSON
but about ensuring that professional responsibilities remain the priority.
Equally important is fostering a culture of mutual respect. Political views can be deeply personal, and in a diverse workforce, disagreements are inevitable. Encouraging employees to engage with empathy - and to know when to disengage - can prevent tension from escalating into conflict that disrupts workflow.
Time management also becomes critical during this period. With rallies, broadcasts and social media updates constantly competing for attention, employees
Nassau enjoys 200k cruise arrivals surge
NASSAU Cruise Port yesterday disclosed that passenger volumes passing through its facility increased by 200,000 year-over-year during the 2026 first quarter with vessel calls rising by 5.5 percent compared to the same period in 2025.
The Prince George Wharf operator, in a statement, said cruise passenger arrivals rose by almost 15 percent, growing from 1.6m during the three months to end-March 2025 to 1.8m for this year’s first quarter.
It added that the increases gave it significant momentum ahead of its attendance at Seatrade Cruise Global 2026, which
was held from April 13–16, 2026, at the Miami Beach Convention Centre. Nassau Cruise Port said the event provided a platform for it to engage with cruise line partners, industry leaders and global stakeholders while highlighting its performance and future plans.
“Our performance reflects the strength of our partnerships and the continued appeal of Nassau as a premier cruise destination,” said Mike Maura, Nassau Cruise Port’s chief executive and director.
“At Seatrade, we had the opportunity to build on that momentum, share our progress and highlight what’s
next for Nassau Cruise Port.”
That involves the continued expansion of Nassau Cruise Port’s offerings. The Bahama Bay pool and day club is set to open within weeks, with the Prince George Wharf operator also citing growth in shore excursions supported by an expanded mix of local experiences and enhanced retail and food and beverage offerings.
Nassau Cruise Port said the completion of its marina expansion in November has significantly broadened its capabilities, enabling the port to accommodate up to six mega-yachts simultaneously. It added that this strengthens Nassau’s position as a cruise hub, and as an attractive destination for luxury and boutique maritime traffic.
NORWEGIAN Luna calls on Nassau Cruise Port during its inaugural visit on March 26, 2026, reflecting continued growth and strong demand for Nassau as a premier cruise destination.
Photo:NASSAU CRUISE PORT/Cay Focus Photography
LPIA traveller volumes up 3.5-7.5% amid ‘bated breath’ over fuel costs
BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas’ major airport gateway yesterday revealed that passenger numbers are trending between 3.5 percent to 7.5 percent higher compared to 2026 as it “watches with bated breath” to see whether fuel price hikes impact air travel demand to this nation.
Jonathan Hanna, vice-president of operations at Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), operator of Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA), told yesterday’s Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) quarterly meeting that the gateway had enjoyed a robust 2026 first quarter with a monthly record number of travellers processed in March.
“We had a very strong performance in the first quarter,” he said. “We welcomed just over 1.1m
passengers between January and March. We actually had our highest month on record in March, welcoming 422,292 passengers and beating out the prior record, which was [just over] 414,000 in July 2019.
“When you look at passenger trends and numbers, we see about a 3.5 percent increase for the domestic sector and 7.5 percent for the international sector, which is driven largely by the Canadian traffic that everybody is speaking about this morning.
“When you look at the year-over-over performance for the month of March, the international sector performed quite considerably with about just shy of a 47 percent, and the domestic sector performed well with just about 12 percent growth. We see that as largely driven by a number of projects happening on the Family Islands,” the NAD executive added.
“Like everyone else, we continue to monitor the
geopolitical events around the world, particularly any impact on fuel because that has an impact on disposable income, so we continue to watch with bated breath but we are hopeful, given our proximity [to the US], that we continue to perform for the remainder of the year.”
Mr Hanna said NAD estimates it will match or exceed last year’s Easter weekend volumes, having predicted that between 80,000 to 85,000 passengers would pass through LPIA between Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday in 2026. He added that there had been “minimal delays” in aircraft landings and take-offs over the Easter period, and said the airport operator had focused on processing efficiency and the guest experience over the Easter period.
“We have 60 percent of flights operating between 11am and 3pm,” Mr Hanna said. “If we have between 6,000 to 7,000 passengers a day, it could be upwards
AZTEC Airways yesterday said it is expanding its fleet and services into The Bahamas despite fuel increases that are resulting in higher air fares.
The US-based boutique carrier added about $20 for fuel surcharges on to ticket prices a week ago, as many airlines raise their rates to offset soaring costs. Aztec’s founder and chief executive, Stuart Hanley, said he does not expect a shortage in fuel to affect his business.
“Well, so far, we haven't run into any shortages, he said. “So far, it's business as usual. But the prices have definitely gone up, and we've had to add a fuel surcharge on our tickets and our cargo flight. Without a doubt, we've had to pass that on to the consumers.
“We don't like to, but our margins are pretty thin as it is. Unfortunately, we have to do it. We held off for a while, but now it looks like these high prices aren't going away. So the ticket
prices have remained the same, but there's a fuel surcharge added to each ticket.
“It's on the area of $20 a ticket, something,” Mr Hanley said. “That's for the time being. If things get worse, then we'll have to re-consider. But for right now, for the current tickets that we're flying, it’s about $20.
“Our airplanes don't run on jet fuel. Our airplanes run on avgas, aviation gasoline. So that supply is pretty stable. Overall jet fuel, they make a lot of jet fuel, and the volume of fuel that they use is tremendous. I mean, the amount of fuel they pump here at Fort Lauderdale International into the jets on a daily basis is more than I would use in a year.
We're a small airline, and the type of fuel we use, the supply is so far very stable, so I'm not too worried about that.” Mr Hanley said Aztec will be increasing its service into Georgetown, Exuma, and into the Berry Islands.
“We're very dedicated to the Bahamas market, and people depend on our
service,” he said. “So we're actually headed the other way. We're expanding our service with the addition of new airplanes.
“We're daily to Abaco, both Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay. We're twice a day to Eleuthera, North Eleuthera, Governor’s Harbour and Rock Sound. We're twice a week to Andros. We're twice a week to the Berry's, twice a week to Bimini, and twice a week to Georgetown, Exuma.
“We're market driven. If people need the service, then we'll provide it. And we just started going to Georgetown about in, I think October, and the flights have been pretty successful, so we'll probably be expanding that service and possibly into the Berry’s as well. So those are the areas that we serve on a schedule. Now, of course, we serve all the islands on charters, all of them.”
Private Bahamian airlines are preparing to raise ticket prices - by as much as 10 percent - in response to a sharp increase in jet fuel costs, even as aviation
of 3,500 to 4,000 persons arriving during this period.” He added that 775 workers out of the total 4,000 employed at the airport have now undergone and completed customer service training, and said: “We certainly believe it’s our people that differentiate us for a competitive advantage in terms of what sets us apart from other countries and other destinations.”
NAD, in written replies to Tribune Business questions earlier this week, said none of the airlines that currently provide services have warned of planned route and frequency cutbacks that would be caused by aviation fuel costs and/or shortages.
Air Canada, one of the carriers that flies to Nassau and LPIA, last week blamed soaring fuel prices stemming from the Middle East conflict for announcing a temporary suspension of flights from Toronto and Montreal to New York’s John F Kennedy airporta move that fuelled fears
officials report no immediate disruptions to fuel supply or flight schedules. Industry representatives say “contract” jet fuel prices have surged by approximately 41.6 percent since February 2026, climbing from $5.70 to $8.07 per gallon, with retail prices nearing $9. This spike is linked to global market instability stemming from the Middle East conflict,
airlines may scale back services globally to keep costs under control.
NAD, while confirming that The Bahamas’ major aviation gateway has felt no effects yet, acknowledged that itself and other global airports “will more than likely feel the impact” if the US, Israel and Iran are unable to resolve their differences and the Middle East conflict resumes.
However, it added that the proximity of Nassau and the wider Bahamas to this nation’s key US tourism source markets could “prove to be an advantage” when it comes to containing aviation fuel costs as most incoming and outgoing routes are short-haul. NAD said it will continue to monitor the situation and stay in close contact with both airlines and fuel suppliers so that it can react swiftly if needed.
“Like most airports around the world, we are mindful that there may be future impact due to
particularly concerns over supply routes such as the Strait of Hormuz. Despite these rising costs, aviation stakeholders in The Bahamas indicate there is currently no fuel shortage affecting local operations, and no airlines have signalled plans to cut routes or reduce flight frequency.
However, industry leaders caution that the country remains vulnerable to
the current conflict in the Middle East and the concerns surrounding fuel costs and supply issues,” NAD told this newspaper.
“To-date, LPIA has not experienced any service reductions or received any announcements of future service reductions from our airline partners.
“If the Middle East conflict is protracted, LPIA, like many airports, will more than likely feel the impact. Most of the service into Nassau consists of short-haul and regional flights, particularly from the US east coast and key hub markets, which could prove to be an advantage for us.
“We will continue to review and assess the situation, and will remain in close communication with our airline and fuel supply partners as it evolves.”
international developments, as external supply shocks could eventually impact availability and pricing. The increase in fuel costs is already placing pressure on private aviation demand, and operators are adjusting fares to offset the financial strain while maintaining essential inter-island and tourism services.
Transport operators: ‘You can’t expect us to operate at a loss’
By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
TRANSPORT opera-
tors yesterday renewed warnings of potential fare increases to offset the margin squeeze from rising fuel prices with trade unions stressing that drivers “cannot be expected to operate at a loss”.
Tyrone Butler, president of the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union, said the issue has already been put to officials at the Road Traffic Department. Speaking to Tribune Business, he said operators
are awaiting a government response to proposed fare adjustments as rising gas prices test the sustainability of their business model.
“We actually met with the controller of Road Traffic about three weeks ago to discuss this issue; around the time the conflict in the Middle East began,” said Mr Butler.
“Once it became clear there was a possibility of higher gas prices, we were asked to put our concerns in writing, which we did about two weeks ago.” He added that a request was subsequently submitted to the minister, but no decision has yet been
Promotion Board touts visitor tripling from Carnival opening
SAIL - from page B1
absence apart from asserting that there are opportunities to “expand and diversify accommodation offerings” via the development of boutique and mid-sized resorts plus vacation rental properties.
“Grand Bahama is seeing significant tourism growth with early 2026 figures showing a 227.2 percent increase in cruise arrivals and a 273.9 percent increase in combined sea and air arrivals,” Mr Williams said.
“This largely supports projections that Grand Bahama remains on track to become one of the fastest-growing
tourism markets in The Bahamas.. “With the expansion of the cruise sector, including Celebration Key and MSC’s [Mediterranean Shipping Company’s] new development, Grand Bahama is poised to receive sustained high visitor volumes in the near future.” The more-than-tripling of Grand Bahama’s cruise and total arrivals numbers, which has primarily been driven by the former, is largely due to last summer’s opening of Carnival’s $600m private cruise port destination, Celebration Key, last year which had attracted one million visitors as of mid-December 2025. This helps to explain the
communicated. The union president said the matter has taken on added urgency after fuel prices increased twice since the initial meeting, prompting further talks with the controller this week.
“They operate as independent business persons with a Business Licence, and they cannot be expected to run their businesses at a loss,” said Mr Butler of his members. “They do have the ability to pass on additional costs, but they must be reasonable. That is what we expect.”
While taxi drivers are bound by government-set
significant year-over-year increase, as the destination was not open in early 2025, thus providing weak yearover-year comparatives.
The 2026 figures are thus being matched against a very low prior year base. Ms Williams, meanwhile, said the Grand Bahama Island Promotion Board’s focus is now on increasing cruise passenger per capita spending and spreading it more widely so that all Bahamian businesses and their employees enjoy financial gain from the increased numbers.
“Now the focus is on enhancing pathways for cruise visitors to experience more of the island, and support increased engagement and economic impact,” she added. “Our strategic initiatives are focused on increasing on-island
fares, Mr Butler argued that greater flexibility is needed to respond to volatile operating costs.
“Our biggest concern right now is the regulatory framework we operate under. We would like to see more flexibility from the Government,” he added.
Despite mounting cost pressures, Mr Butler said demand has remained stable so far and he is optimistic the tourism industry will survive recent global developments -including Middle East tensions and earlier US tariff concerns - that continue to
spend per cruise visitor, developing short curated experiences and improving accessibility between port and cay areas, and encouraging repeat visitors through targeted campaigns.”
Cruise tourism appears set, though, to dominate Grand Bahama’s product offering. Besides Carnival’s Celebration Key, MSC Cruises is developing a Beach Club on a 20-acre parcel at the Grand Lucayan that it has acquired from the latter’s owner, Concod Wilshire, as well as its $450m project at nearby Freeport Harbour and Billy Cay. Royal Caribbean, too,
weigh on the broader travel environment.
“There have already been several challenges affecting the travelling public — the conflict in the Middle East and earlier concerns about tariffs. Despite that, business has been steady for the first quarter of the year,” said Mr Butler.
Meanwhile, Tory Austin, president of the Bahamas Livery Drivers Union, said his members are taking a cautious, wait-and-see approach before making any pricing decisions.
Speaking to Tribune Business, he indicated that while fare increases are
is thought poised to close on the purchase of Grand Bahama’s Xanadu resort property for its own private cruise destination. Ms Williams, though, hailed MSC’s involvement as helping “to drive consistent visitor flow and increased global visibility for Grand Bahama Island”. She added that one of the Promotion Board’s priorities is to “enhance service standards” throughout the island’s tourism sector.
“Grand Bahama is entering a high opportunity phase,” Ms Williams said. “The focus is on ensuring the island remains
Keeping staff political disputes to minimum
ELECTION- from page B2
should be intentional about structuring their day. Simple practices such as scheduling focused work blocks, limiting phone use and taking designated breaks to catch up on news can help maintain efficiency without feeling disconnected from current events.
Leadership plays a pivotal role as well. Managers should lead by example, demonstrating professionalism and neutrality in the workplace. By keeping meetings focused, avoiding politically charged commentary and addressing distractions promptly,
leaders set the tone for the rest of the team.
Another practical approach is to channel the season’s energy into positive workplace engagement. Team-building activities, goal-setting sessions or even friendly, non-political competitions can help redirect attention towards shared objectives rather than divisive topics. Finally, employees should be reminded of the bigger picture. Political seasons are temporary, but professional reputations and corporate goals are long-term. Staying disciplined, maintaining high standards of work and respecting colleagues ensures that both individual
not yet widespread, the trajectory of fuel prices - and the speed of any government response - will determine whether adjustments become unavoidable in the near-term.
“We are still gauging the gas prices and have not made any decisions as yet. We don’t know how long this will last,” said Mr Austin. =“If it appears to be a long-term issue, then we will have to make adjustments. But we haven’t made any major changes to our prices.”
He added that livery operators are also optimistic that broader travel demand will hold. “I don’t think the cost of air fares will have a negative effect on tourism. We are very optimistic that things will level off soon. We’re staying positive and believe it’s all going to work out,” said Mr Austin.
competitive, experience driven and positioned for sustainable long-term growth. The Grand Bahama Island Promotion Board is focused on fostering a deeper connection to the destination, ensuring visitors come back to stay, experience and fall in love with Grand Bahama.”
She added that the focus of ‘millennial’ and ‘Generation Z’ travellers, who make up 50 percent of the world’s leisure tourists, on authentic, wellness, experience and nature-based travel “aligns directly with Grand Bahama’s core strengths and positioning”.
careers and the broader economy continue to thrive. In a nation as vibrant and passionate as The Bahamas, political excitement is inevitable. However, with intentional effort and mutual understanding, workplaces can remain productive, respectful and focused no matter how heated the national conversation becomes.
• NB: Ian R Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities. He has served organisations, both locally and globally, providing relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@ coralwave.com.
Mr Fountain openly winced, stating “ouch” in response to forecasts that the cruise industry is set to expand vessel numbers and capacity by 10 percent in the four years to 2028. And he warned that many lines will likely redeploy ships away from the Mediterranean, which is relatively close to the Middle East conflict zone, and to safer Caribbean routes that will likely involve The Bahamas.
Such a development, he added, would further drive down cruise prices by increasing supply and availability, thereby further increasing the attraction of a holiday on vessels that are effectively ‘floating resorts’ with guest amenities comparable to land-based mega destination such as Atlantis or Baha Mar.
Mr Fountain spoke out as Nassau Cruise Port yesterday unveiled a 200,000 year-over-year passenger increase to 1.8m for the 2026 first quarter, up from 1.6m in the same period last year, with cruise ship calls ahead by 5.5 percent - numbers that stand in stark contrast
to the declines experienced by Out Island Promotion Board members during the same period. And Latia Duncombe, the Ministry of Tourism’s director-general, reproduced figures affirming that cruise passengers accounted for 86 percent of all arrivals to The Bahamas during the first two months of 2026. They accounted for 2.13m of the total 2.43m visitors to this nation in January and February, with air arrivals just barely below 300,000 at 299,601.
Mr Fountain, meanwhile, also produced research showing that the average collective annual occupancy rate achieved by all Family Island hotels - not just his member properties - has not changed in 28 years - almost three decades. It hovered at around 41 percent in 2025 - roughly the same rate in 1997 in the last century.
“While our numbers are down, we’re on the ropes but we’re not out,” the Promotion Board chief told Tribune Business in a subsequent interview. “I think that what we need to fix, it’s a combination of stuff. We need to address the seat loss with Silver Airways out
of Fort Lauderdale, particularly into Abaco, Eleuthera, Bimini and Exuma.
“In addition to that, even when we had the airlift that we had, using 2024 as an example, the average occupancy throughout the islands - it’s not just my member hotels, it’s all the 200-something odd hotelsthe average occupancy was still only around 40 percent when we had the airline seats.”
Mr Fountain had earlier told the BHTA meeting that, despite having the highest number of available airline seats for a decade in 2024, “the average occupancy” for that year “was still only 37.6 percent for all Out Island hotels”. And he revealed “a deeper dive” showed, as an example, that the number of visitors flying to Abaco from Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in 2025 had declined at a faster rate than the loss of seats due to Silver Airways’ failure.
While available seats from Fort Lauderdale to Marsh Harbour in 2025 declined by 37.3 percent year-over-year, falling from 37,621 in 2024 to just 23,762, Mr Fountain’s data showed the drop-off in actual visitor numbers
flying that route was slightly steeper at 37.7 percentdropping from 20,814 in 2024 to 12,961 to produce a decline of almost 8,000.
And the data for the West Palm Beach route produced a wider gulf, with actual visitor numbers falling by 22.8 percent in 2025 - from 13,303 to 10,272 - while seat capacity was down by a much lower 15.3 percent.
“This is where I think we have a hotel distribution issue,” Mr Fountain told Tribune Business. “That’s where our hotels, ‘Mom and Pop’ shops for the most part, are not up to speed on 21st century operations. They will be left behind. As we embark on this AI route, if you’re not in the game you may as well sell up.
“We say we are a luxury destination, and mind you we do have some luxury, but we are a very high-priced destination. What we need to do, because customers want to know what they are paying all the money for. Yes, we need to replace the loss of Silver Airways seats out of Fort Lauderdale, yes, we need to help hotel distribution. But we also need to focus on the customer experience.
“We won’t compete with the cruise lines via price or cost, but we have to deliver value for dollars, and value has to come in the service, treatment and experience we give our guests.” Jackson Weech, the BHTA’s president, said the reversal of Family Island tourism’s late 2025 and early 2026 decline was among the Association’s top priorities moving forward. “While Nassau/Paradise Island’s traditional indicators of occupancy and room rates spoke to a very robust first quarter in 2026, and future forecasts look healthy, the same cannot be said for many of the Family Islands, some of whom continue to report double-digit declines in hotel room occupancies,” he said.
Mr Fountain, meanwhile, said the whole land-based Bahamian tourism industry - and not just the Family Islands - must pay attention to the growing competitive threat posed by the cruise industry. “I had an opportunity last week to go on a four-night cruise from Miami,” he told the BHTA meeting. “I hate cruises, and I only did it to see, to experience the cruise.
“I went to Ocean Cay, which is right off Bimini, on the MSC cruise. If we don’t get our act together as far as our product is concerned on-island, we’re going to chase more and more of our visitors on these cruise ships. These cruise ships are deploying more and more product from the Mediterranean area to The Bahamas. Prices are going to go down, deals are going to get better.
“By the way, cruise visitors are not the same cruise visitors we used to see years ago. On the ships, people have money and, if we continue to under-deliver, we are going to lose more and more of our valuable $2,500 per stay stopover visitor spending to cruise visitors that are spending $84 a day.” In response, Mr Weech promised Mr Fountain that the tourism industry will “drill down” to ensure all “the pieces of the puzzle” are in place to maintain Bahamian land-based tourism’s competitiveness against the growing cruise ship industry and its expanding private islands and beach club destinations.
Mega resorts say Q2 ‘similarly poised’ with
BUSINESS - from page B1
‘pace very strong’
it is more optimistic than its competitor about the outlook for the 2026 second half by describing the resort as “very, very bullish” on the third quarter.
However, he conceded that the booking window has “shortened” and Atlantis was “a little bit guarded” on prospects for the fourth quarter, which include the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday periods, given the multiple uncertainties outside the tourism industry’s control.
Mr Davis, though, said The Bahamas’ proximity to its major US source market, which accounts for around 90 percent of visitors, as well as its perception as a relatively safe destination and increased airlift from Canada, had all helped drive the early 2026 improvement for the Nassau/Paradise Island resort and tourism industry.
Besides the Middle East conflict, he indicated that the devastation inflicted on Jamaica’s tourism sector by Hurricane Melissa, plus security concerns in Mexico following the violence that erupted in the wake of the
killing of Jalisco New Generation drug cartel (CJNG) kingpin, ‘El Mencho’, could also have aided The Bahamas over the three months to end-March 2026. Hailing what he described as “a fantastic first quarter”, Mr Davis said: “We’ve record numbers to report, particularly in RevPAR; a 14 percent increase in RevPAR year-over-year, and hitting in March one of our biggest occupancies in the history of the property [since] opening, 94 percent. And average rates are really what’s doing quite well, and we’re seeing that across the board.
“I think there’s a lot of extra factors that are supporting this. Of course, the increased airlift from Canada that is very supportive…. helped by what’s going on in Mexico, what’s going on in Jamaica, what’s going on in the Middle East. We’ve got some perfect storms around the world that are certainly supporting The Bahamas as the best place to come to, so that is a fantastic first quarter.”
Baha Mar’s double digit RevPAR increase for the 2026 first quarter, compared to the same period last year, is especially noteworthy given that this is
PUBLIC NOTICE
The public is hereby advised that I, MARCIA CLEO GARLAND aka MARCIA CLEO LIGHTBOURNE of United States of America, intend to change my name to MARSHA CLEO LIGHTBOURNE. If there are any objections to challenge the name by deed poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, The Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of the publication of this notice. INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I AMARESH HOMBAL of 6 Brooklyn Ave Condos off Village Rd. Nassau, P.O.Box #11539, Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twentyeight days from the 17th day of April, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that I ALEXANDER NNEJIAKOLAM EMENYONU of Sunset Ridge, Nassau, Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 17th day of April, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
one of the hotel industry’s key performance metrics and indicators. It measures a resort’s ability to generate revenue from available rooms, combining occupancy and pricing data, and is thus more comprehensive than average daily rates (ADRs) since it accounts for both vacant and booked rooms.
Mr Davis yesterday signalled that Baha Mar’s momentum has carried through into the current period to end-June 2026, adding: “Our pace going forward for the second quarter is very strong. Group numbers are looking good as well for the second quarter.
“It’s a little early to talk about the rest of the year, but we’re certainly forecasting some strong numbers for the remainder of the year as well. We have some good group business planned as well for the third quarter going into the fourth.”
The Baha Mar chief said its new Italian restaurant, Leola by Scott Conant, was “doing very well” with the mega resort “super excited” by its prospects. He also highlighted “our
brand new, first in the world podcast studio and cafe”, adding that iHeartRadio podcasters were currently using it to broadcast and “we’re really promoting The Bahamas and New Providence, Nassau” as part of some “great awareness campaigns”.
Not to be outdone, Mr Weech, on Atlantis’s behalf, said he would be “riding on the wings” of Mr Davis and Baha Mar by reporting a similar 2026 first quarter performance at the Paradise Island mega resort. “Certainly, in respect of the first quarter, we had a very strong performance both in terms of occupancy and average daily room (ADR) rate,” he said.
“All of our towers exceeded budgeted economic performance for the noted period, and we surpassed 2025 numbers for the same timeframe. Like yourselves [Baha Mar], and some of the other hotel properties, it was heavily influenced by a strong group performance that exceeded budget as we as, in our instance, an equally strong casino operation. Food and beverage, as
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that JOCELYN VIXAMAR of #12 Pear Tree Street, Sir Lynden Pindling Estates, New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 24th day of April, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that CLOVER ROLLE of Flamingo Avenue, New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 17th day of April, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that MELISSA MERSHA EBANKS of Gladstone Road, New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 17th day of April, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
well as our retail outlets, did exceptionally well.
“The second quarter, certainly at this stage, is similarly poised and it’s our expectation that it will continue to be as equally strong,” Mr Weech added.
“It’s important to note, and you [Mr Davis] alluded to it, but ours has been a similar story with respect to the Canadian market - a very favourable uptick there. Certainly there’s a correlation with the airlift, the additional airlift, coming out of that market.”
Looking ahead, the senior Atlantis executive said a trend had emerged where tourists were booking increasingly closer to their arrival date - a move likely driven by growing concern over uncertainties caused by the Middle East conflict and global oil price spikes, which in turn have raised fuel costs and price inflation plus lowered disposable incomes and living standards.
“What we’ve evidenced so far as we look out at the third quarter, there’s certainly a shortening of the booking window as it were,” Mr Weech said. “We expect
that there’s a direct correlation between that and some of the uncertainties that exist on the outside in the geopolitical sense.
“A very good picture thus far, the first quarter and second quarter, so it continues to look good.” He added that the fourth staging of Atlantis’s Art, Wine and Food festival on Paradise Island during the 2026 first quarter had been “over subscribed”, and generated “very, very favourable reviews” for the mega resort. The “complete” renovation of the Cove property, featuring upgrades to all six suites as well as the pool, dining and all public spaces and amenities, is poised to start. And “work has begun” on two new additions to the Atlantis retail offering, Creed and Alique, which are due to open “towards the beginning of summer”.
“So generally, we’ve been very, very bullish on what the third quarter is going to be, and a little bit guarded with respect to the fourth quarter given that there are so many contributors outside of our control,” Mr Weech said.
NOTICE
NOTICE is here by given that I, MIVENTZ SAINTSURIN of The Grove, Nassau, The Bahamas, is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 24th day of April, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that CANEISHA TRONPEPIERRE of Treasure Cay, Abaco, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 17th day of April, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.
NOTICE is hereby given that I TEJASHEE AMARESH HOMBAL of 6 Brooklyn Ave Condos off Village Rd. Nassau, P.O.Box #11539, Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 17th day of April, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
Taxi union: Gov’t ‘dragged feet’ over increasing rates
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response from Tyrone Butler, the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union president, who described the LPIA fare concerns as “not new” and “an age-old problem”. He added that he does not support drivers charging “more than percent” above the rates set by the Government, which he accused of “dragging its feet” over the union’s request for an increase to offset soaring fuel prices. Mr Butler also accused Ms Cambridge of taking fares, and rides, that should go to taxi drivers - to which she responded that she is “not the enemy of the taxi union”, but she has to look out for the greater good is addressing the problem of “over-charging” that is impacting The Bahamas’ largest industry, tourism.
“I’ve been at the airport about 40 years,” she told the BHTA quarterly meeting.
“We have a serious problem there with the taxi drivers who do not pay VAT. They’ve been over-charging before the fuel went up so God help you. They’ve been charging people double, they have their own rates, and no one is doing anything about it at the airport.
“They have rates there at the stand that are outdated. Someone actually needs to stand and observe and see how much they are over-charging. I pay VAT and I don’t charge half of the price those people charge; those taxi drivers. It’s ridiculous.
“The guests are complaining they are paying $100 for two people to go to Atlantis and, coming back, some of them charge $75. They want to know how come there’s such a difference? Don’t even miss and go to Palm Cay. That’s $200,” Ms Cambridge continued.
“Most of the time I have people who don’t come with me. They called and called to go back with us or Leisure Tours or Majestic Tours because they have very set rates. It’s really mind-boggling what’s going on there….
“Those are my deep concerns right now; the over-charging and, after the price of fuel went up, God knows how much they are charging the guests right now. Someone, [tourism director-general], needs to get with Road Traffic. Someone needs to be there in place and help regulate those taxi persons.”
Jackson Weech, the BHTA’s president, responded by pledging: “We’ll be doing the necessary to influence what happens in terms of regulation.”
Speaking to Tribune Business post-meeting on her concerns, Ms Cambridge reiterated: “ “They would charge four people $120. And if they stop to the food store, they charge them $1 a minute. If they take four persons to Paradise Island, they charge anywhere from $70 to $100, depending on how much luggage they have. There’s no regulation….
“They need to have more regulation to the airport. I’m a company. I can charge whenever I want to charge. The taxi drivers only paying $1 for the airport user fee. The companies like me, we paying $3. These taxi drivers are not paying VAT and they were up before the price of gas went up. So if they were charging that, only God knows how much they charging them now.”
Mr Butler, the taxi cab union president, defended drivers but conceded that pricing concerns are not new. Mr Butler said he has argued for fare increases to be “reasonable”, adding that he does not support charges that are 20 percent higher than government-set rates.
“We are aware and this is not new,” he said. “This has been an age-old problem from before I got into the business over 20 years ago. You always have one or two taxi drivers that would pad the price.
“I will tell you right now, as president of the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union, I have said to the drivers you have to be reasonable. The price that has been posted by the Government, which we are obligated to follow, I do not support any taxi driver charging more than 20 percent above that price.”
Mr Butler added: “The rate to Atlantis is $45 for the first one or two persons. Each additional person is $5. And then there’s a charge for certain baggage. Palm Cay was one of those areas that came up after the rate sheet was done. But there were a lot of errors on the rate sheet.
“So Palm Cay, the rate that the drivers have been using because Palm Cay is a gated community, and then you have to be sitting to that gate for 10, 15, minutes, and that’s wait time, so any time we go into gated communities, gated communities tend to have a higher rate. For the first two [persons] to Palm Cay is normally something around $60 to $65.”
Mr Butler said he met with the Road Traffic Department’s deputy controller several weeks ago to request an increase in fares to cover the rising cost of fuel as a result of the Iran War. He said delays in obtaining a response have prompted some drivers to determine their own pricing.
Further, Parliament has been dissolved in anticipation of the May 12 general election, which means the request may have to be addressed by the Ministry of Transport and Energy’s permanent secretary.
“Unfortunately, the Government dragged its feet,” Mr Butler said. “The House was dissolved. The minister is not in office any more, and so it has to go to the permanent secretary is what I understand.
“I’m aware that some of them are a little over the top with their pricing, but that is a result of the Government dragging its feet and not being proactive. If we had put in a temporary flat rate adjustment that would mitigate any wrong[doing]…... Anybody that goes above that particular rate, we can hold them accountable.
“But as you know, taxi drivers operate on a Business Licence and, as a business person, a self-employed person, nobody’s in business to lose. So when the cost of fuel goes up, we expect that taxi drivers will add some additional cost. How much is the question.”
At the same time, Mr Butler pushed back against Ms Cambridge’s assertions by arguing she is not present when fares are negotiated and therefore would not be in a position to accurately assess what passengers are charged.
He further accused her of taking fares that would otherwise go to licensed taxi operators, but provided no evidence to support these claims. To that, Ms Cambridge responded: “I used to be the vice-president of the taxi union, and I have a say. I’m not the enemy of the taxi union. I’m only the second woman to hold that position. Doris Toote was the first, and I’m the second.
“Only two women ever hold that position. And I am looking out for the tourists that feed the whole Bahamas and the number one industry, and they are being overcharged.”
Tensions are ongoing within the transportation industry, particularly in high-traffic areas such as LPIA, where competition for passengers and specifically tourists, is most intense. Efforts to regulate fares remain a key issue. The Government sets the current rates and operators apply additional charges in certain circumstances, such as extra passengers or specific destinations.
Development package can be model for other islands
employment and broader economic activity, particularly in North Andros.
“Across the projects, we expect to create more than 100 well-paying, full-time jobs,” said Mr Drummond.
“We will also be working with local Bahamian contractors throughout the development.”
He said the scale of investment is expected to ripple through the local economy - from construction activity to long-term agricultural output and small business opportunities. “With roughly $100m being invested in North Andros, the impact on the local economy will be significant in a number of ways,”
Mr Drummond pledged.
He explained that a central aim of the project is to improve the economics
of domestic agriculture by addressing infrastructure gaps that limit output and profitability. “It doesn’t do much good to grow more food if you don’t have the infrastructure to support it,” said Mr Drummond. He added that the development will also introduce processing capabilities designed to move farmers into higher-value production via planned cold storage and processing facilities.
“A large cold storage facility will help reduce wastage, improve food quality and allow farmers to store and distribute produce more effectively,” said Mr Drummond. “We’ll provide dehydration, freeze-drying, bottling, packaging and labelling so farmers can create higher-margin products and earn more from what they already produce.”
Thursday,
Offshore wind farms take shape along Rhode Island’s coast, even as Trump wants to stop them
By JENNIFER McDERMOTT
Press
Associated
OFFSHORE wind turbines roughly three times the height of the Statue of Liberty were spinning far off the coast of Rhode Island on Thursday, sending clean electricity to the region.
Wind farms are taking shape and operating along the East Coast, even as President Donald Trump seeks to end the U.S. offshore wind industry. He often talks about his hatred of wind power and calls turbines ugly.
The Associated Press traveled roughly 100 miles (161 kilometers) and saw three of the five wind farms in the area. Two of the five are fully operational, two are nearly done, and one is about halfway built.
The first turbines from the Revolution Wind project were clearly visible from about 5 nautical miles away, and can be seen from farther away on clear days. They stretched across the horizon, massive structures evenly spaced in rows, some spinning in the light winds.
The enormity of the turbines was evident from even a mile out.
Wind farms under construction
Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind are offshore wind projects being built to power about 1 million homes across Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York. It took about an hour and a half to reach the Revolution Wind site, more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of the Rhode Island coast. Some of the blades started to turn as the early morning winds picked up. Workers were inside the central hub of the wind farm, a large gray substation.
Revolution Wind is more than 90% complete. It recently began delivering power to New England’s grid, and it’s on track to be completed this year.
Nearby at Sunrise Wind, construction is nearly 50% complete. Orsted is developing both projects. Sunrise Wind is a mix of installed turbines and empty yellow foundations that still await their towers and blades. A vessel with giant cranes to install the offshore wind
He said the initiative is also intended to directly support existing farmers in North Andros and create wider opportunities across the sector. “There are many farmers in North Andros who would benefit immediately,” said Mr Drummond.
“We want to work closely with the community to understand what we may have missed and how we can maximise the benefits.”
The project will be based near Nicholls Town, where farming, storage and processing infrastructure will be co-located.
“The farm is designed to maximise how much high-quality, healthy food we can grow with as little effort and environmental impact as possible,” said Mr Drummond. He said the model will rely heavily on technology, including aeroponic growing systems
powered by solar energy, supported by water filtration and soil enhancement techniques.
Beyond production, a training component is intended to expand participation in agriculture and build local capacity. “It will function as an education centre. Bahamian entrepreneurs and farmers will be able to come, stay on-site at no cost, and learn through hands-on experience,” said Mr Drummond.
The broader goal, he added, is to make agriculture more efficient and more attractive as a career. “We want to help people grow more food in smaller spaces with less labour, and make agriculture a more viable path,” Mr Drummond said.
Alongside agriculture, the project includes a renewable energy component
aimed at reducing energy costs and improving reliability. “We are planning a solar field and would like to partner with BPL, although those discussions have not yet started,” said Mr Drummond.
“In addition, we’re allocating about $15m to install high-tech battery systems in homes and businesses, providing reliable back-up power as an alternative to diesel or propane generators.”
Mr Drummond said the initiative also aims to unlock export opportunities by supporting value-added production and, if successful, the model could be expanded to other islands.
“We want to produce goods like spice mixes, dehydrated or freeze-dried fruits and pre-packaged foods — products that are lightweight, easy to export
and generate better margins,” he said. “If this works, we would like to replicate it across other Family Islands where there are active farming communities.”
The wider investment plan also includes an $80m biotechnology facility focused on areas such as cancer research, novel medicines and wellness technologies - part of a broader strategy to diversify the Bahamian economy.
“Our intention is to build something that positions The Bahamas as a leader; not just regionally, but globally,” said Mr Drummond. For now, however, the immediate focus remains on securing approvals. “We are ready to go,” he said. “The next step is working closely with the Government to move forward.”
Trump’s planned appearance bringing renewed scrutiny to annual correspondents’ dinner
By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer
THE seeming incongruity of President Donald Trump’s expected attendance at an event that honors the press has brought renewed scrutiny to the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, a fixture on Washington’s spring social calendar that is scheduled for this weekend.
Between berating individual reporters, fighting organizations like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Associated Press in court and restricting press access to the Pentagon, the administration’s animus toward journalists has been a fixture of Trump’s second term.
components was parked nearby.
The tip of a spinning turbine appeared to touch the clouds.
The first large U.S. offshore wind farm
The first large U.S. offshore wind farm to open, South Fork Wind, borders the Revolution Wind site. Now in its second year of operating commercially, its 12 turbines can send enough power to New York for more than 70,000 homes.
A ship that serves as a floating home base for technicians working on wind farms was next to one of the turbines on Thursday. The technicians had used the ship’s gangway to walk onto the turbine and stood at its base, or foundation.
When South Fork opened in 2024, Biden administration officials said it was just the beginning — major new wind farms would dot U.S. coastlines to confront climate change, create jobs and accelerate the nation’s transition to clean energy.
Less than a year later, Trump returned to office and ordered a temporary halt to leasing and permitting for wind energy projects. His administration has paused work wind farms under construction, arranged a $1 billion payout to a French energy company to walk away from U.S. offshore wind development and added an extra layer of review for wind and solar projects. Federal judges have struck down some of his orders blocking wind energy development, including a ruling Tuesday stopping the administration from implementing some of the policies slowing the development of clean energy.
At the same time wind energy is being held back, the demand for electricity in the United States is skyrocketing and there are limited options in land-constrained coastal states for new, large energy projects in the next few years, which drives up utility bills, said Hillary Bright, executive director of the offshore wind advocacy group Turn Forward.
“These energy policies are really hitting people at home, in their pocketbooks,” she said. “Offshore wind ultimately can be a part of that solution.”
It’s another layer of complexity for the so-called “nerd prom,” given the name for the sight of reporters in tuxes. Some people are already squeaming about journalists toasting
and laughing with people they regularly cover.
“This is sort of a critical moment for these dinners and it will be interesting to see what happens going forward,” said Lisa Stark, a former ABC News reporter. Petition asks journalists to ‘speak forcefully’ on freedom of press
She and longtime colleague Ian Cameron have circulated a petition urging journalists who attend Saturday to “speak forcefully” in defense of the press with Trump in attendance. Dan Rather and former ABC White House reporter Sam Donaldson are among more than 350 former journalists to sign. Reporters have talked about a visible protest like lapel pins touting the First Amendment.
Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, was the first president to attend the dinner. Chief executives usually appear, requiring them in recent years to appear to be good sports as comics like Stephen Colbert, Colin Jost
and Trevor Noah make jokes about them. Trump attended in 2011, glaring from the audience at President Barack Obama’s barbs about him. This will be the first year he attends as president, however.
“The only thing more insulting for the press than Trump not coming is Trump coming,” Kelly McBride, NPR ombudsman and head of the Poynter Institute’s ethics and leadership center, wrote last week.
“This man mocks you, sues you, and targets you for prosecution,” former AP White House reporter Ron Fournier wrote on Substack. He detailed a list on Trump’s actions against the press, finishing with: “and you’re having dinner with him?” The top editor at HuffPost — a news website clearly hostile to Trump — said its journalists wouldn’t attend Saturday as a protest.
The president of the WHCA, CBS News’ Weijia Jiang, had no immediate comment. But Todd
Gillman, a former Washington bureau chief for the Dallas Morning News and now a journalism professor for Arizona State University, suggested it wasn’t the press’ role to make news itself by snubbing Trump. The president will make news either way depending on what he says there, he said. There’s a misperception, Gillman said, that the correspondents are honoring Trump by having him at the dinner.
Meanwhile, CBS owners Paramount are reportedly hosting a dinner to honor Trump Thursday at the Institute of Peace, which was renamed for Trump last year. Paramount is awaiting government approval of its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
The president, if he chooses to stay at the correspondents dinner Saturday, will also face some uncomfortable moments as the WHCA gives awards to journalists he has criticized, like CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
TURBINES are visible at Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm that is under construction off the coast of Montauk Point, New York,
April 23, 2026. Photo:Joshua A. Bickel/AP
Trump considers a taxpayer takeover of Spirit Airlines and would aim to resell carrier
By MAE ANDERSON and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press
PRESIDENT Donald Trump said Thursday that he was weighing a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit Airlines with the intent of reselling the struggling budget carrier after oil prices drop.
The president confirmed his continued interest in offering Spirit a financial lifeline after a lawyer told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court that the airline was in advanced talks with the U.S. government on a financing deal that would allow Spirit to emerge from Chapter 11 protection.
“They have some good aircraft and good assets, and when the prices of oil goes down, we’ll sell it for a
profit,” Trump said, speaking at an unrelated Oval Office event. “I’d love to be able to save those jobs. I’d love to be able to save an airline.” Trump stoked speculation of a deal to save Spirit on Tuesday when he encouraged a buyer to rescue the airline and suggested the federal government could help keep it afloat.
The White House has attempted to blame Spirit’s predicament on the Biden administration, which in 2023 sued to stop JetBlue Airways from buying Spirit for $3.8 billion. A little more than a year before Trump replaced Joe Biden as president, a federal judge in Dallas blocked a proposed Spirit-JetBlue merger, saying it would drive up airfares for passengers.
Georgia Republican pleads not guilty to wire fraud charge in Ponzi scheme
By JEFF AMY Associated Press
A
PROMINENT Geor-
gia Republican accused of running a $156 million Ponzi scheme has been charged by federal prosecutors with wire fraud, pleading not guilty on Thursday.
The single count of wire fraud against Edwin Brant Frost IV is the first criminal charge to result from an investigation that began after First Liberty Building and Loan collapsed last June.
Frost waived indictment before pleading not guilty, a step that is typically a prelude to a later guilty plea in federal courts. He publicly apologized for his role earlier and is free on bail.
U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg told The Associated Press that Frost is “not going to contest the charges” and is likely to enter a guilty plea in early May. He said that federal prosecutors could consider charges against others, depending on evidence.
The charge carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but any recommended sentence would be heavily dependent on the amount of money that a court determines was stolen. Although $156 million is the amount of money taken in by First Liberty, according to a receiver, the amount lost is lower, at least $65 million, because some investors were repaid.
Hertzberg said prosecutors intend to recommend a sentence close to the top of the 20-year range for Frost, a 68-year-old Newnan man.
“The loss here is very significant,” he said.
First Liberty said it was in the business of taking investor funds and making short-term, high-interest loans to businesses, paying investors up to 18% annual interest. While First Liberty did make loans to businesses, prosecutors allege Frost used new investors’ money to pay previous
Trump’s
investors, the definition of a Ponzi scheme. Prosecutors also claim Frost skimmed more than $5 million of investors’ money to finance his own lifestyle. That includes spending more than $140,000 on jewelry and more than $230,000 to rent a vacation home over multiple years in Kennebunkport, Maine, the town where the family of late president George H. W. Bush famously spent summers. Prosecutors say Frost also spent more than $2 million on credit card bills.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit last year against the company and Frost. Some investors had complained that criminal charges had been slow to materialize, but Hertzberg said his office has been building a case, and that because Frost is willing to plead guilty, punishment will come quickly now.
“We were operating in the background, and we’ve now come out of the shadows to ensure that Mr. Frost faces full consequences for his actions,” Hertzberg said, praising investigations by the SEC and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office.
Among those who lost money were a company run by former Georgia GOP Chairman David Shafer; Alabama state Auditor Andrew Sorrell; and a political action committee controlled by the Republican Sorrell. Party activists have said many grassroots Republicans also lost money, while others were lured by ads on shows hosted by conservatives including Erick Erickson, Hugh Hewitt and Charlie Kirk.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office has levied $500,000 civil fines against three people his office says helped solicit money for First Liberty and asked state prosecutors to consider criminal charges against them.
Trump said he had “a smart person” in mind who could potentially run Spirit and that he believed the airline could get back on solid financial footing.
“And they have some very good slots too, which are pretty valuable,” the president added, referring to scheduled times allocated for airlines to take off or land at airports when demand exceeds available capacity.
Spirit has struggled with losses for years. The airline filed for Chapter 11 protection in November 2024 and again in August 2025. With the Iran war driving up jet fuel costs for all airlines, creditors earlier this month expressed doubts about Spirit’s ongoing viability, raising the possibility the airline recognized for its
bright yellow planes would be forced to sell its assets and cease operating.
Before Trump’s comments about the government buying the airline outright, Marshall Huebner, a lawyer with Davis Polk who is representing Spirit, said during a U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing in New York that government financing would make a reorganization possible
and help Spirit be more competitive.
Details of a potential deal were shared with all three of the company’s primary creditor groups, Huebner said. It was not immediately clear how a federal acquisition would differ from the terms that were under discussion. The size and terms of the financing aid were not shared publicly.
The Wall Street Journal and
Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, both reported an amount of $500 million that would give the government an option to acquire a sizable stake in the airline, which has its headquarters in Florida.
Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy voiced skepticism about the government stepping in to keep Spirit alive. In a CBS interview that aired Tuesday night, Duffy questioned whether a deal would set a broader precedent.
“Then who else comes to my door?” he said, referring to other airlines potentially requesting government aid. “The question will be, can we do anything to save Spirit and make it viable, or would we be putting good money into a company that inevitably is going to be liquidated?”
Several lawmakers, both Republican and Democrats, also balked at the idea of a bailout. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas wrote on X on Wednesday that a deal for Spirit would be a “terrible idea.”
School buses should all have alcohol tests to avoid drunken driving, NTSB recommends
By JOSH FUNK AP Transportation Writer
AFTER a school bus rolled on a West Virginia highway two years ago, forcing one boy to have his leg amputated and seriously injuring two other children aboard, police quickly discovered the driver was drunk.
But the National Transportation Safety Board then discovered something even more troubling: School bus drivers driving impaired was not an isolated problem.
That’s why the NTSB on Thursday recommended for the first time that all new school buses be equipped with alcohol detection systems that can disable the bus if they detect the driver might be impaired. Similar systems are already used on school buses in parts of Europe.
“There’s a higher expectation for school bus drivers than many other types of drivers,” said Kris Poland, deputy director of the NTSB’s Office of Highway Safety. “We expect that the drivers are attentive, not fatigued, not impaired and are driving as safely as possible.”
The agency didn’t estimate the cost of adding the detection systems to buses or say who would foot the bill. The kind of ignition interlock device that people charged with DUIs are routinely required to get costs about $75 to $150 to install and roughly $100 a month to monitor.
Alcohol is linked to onethird of traffic deaths
Federal regulators or states could require the technology, but Congress would have to pass legislation to ensure widespread adoption. The NTSB recommendation focuses on alcohol and not drugs because they determined that was the probable cause of this crash and there aren’t
similar tests available for other drugs like marijuana. There also aren’t clear legal standards for exactly how much of other drugs is enough to impair a driver.
It follows a previous recommendation by NTSB that Congress adopted to require alcohol detection systems in all new passenger vehicles. But that rule has yet to be rolled out because it is still caught up in the rulemaking process.
The NTSB has long been concerned about drunken driving because alcohol is a factor in one-third of the roughly 37,000 traffic deaths each year. Investigators struggled to nail down exact stats on how common a problem this is among school bus drivers, but they found enough evidence to convince them that alcohol detection systems are needed.
A report by the news service Stateline.org in 2020 showed at least 118 school bus drivers had been ticketed or arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or
“gold card” visa starting at $1 million granted to just 1 person so far, Lutnick says
By JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press
PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s “gold card” visa, where a foreigner can shell out at least $1 million to legally live and work in the U.S., has been approved for one person, said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Thursday — appearing to fall a bit short of an earlier claim. After it launched in December, Lutnick said that the government had sold $1.3 billion “worth” in just several days, as Trump stood by holding up the gilded ticket and said,
“essentially it’s the green card on steroids.” Lutnick did not address the apparent discrepancy in an exchange with a congresswoman at Thursday’s committee hearing. Trump pushed the idea last year, initially suggesting a cost of $5 million, and arguing that it would entice foreign talent to U.S. shores and fill out federal coffers. It’s meant to replace the EB-5 program, a decades-old program that offered U.S. visas to people who invested about $1 million in a company with at least 10 employees.
other drugs over the five previous years, said Meg Sweeny, the primary author of the NTSB report on the West Virginia bus crash.
In that crash, the driver lost control of the bus after hitting a driveway culvert off the right side of a rural road. All 19 children aboard were hurt, but most had only minor injuries. The driver was sentenced last year to up to 110 years in prison.
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that 407 school bus drivers were involved in fatal crashes between 2020 and 2024. Only two of those tested positive for alcohol, and only one of them had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit, but those numbers only included fatal crashes so the West Virginia crash and most of the citations and arrests Stateline found wouldn’t be accounted for.
Protecting our
‘precious passengers’
The number of drunken driving cases among bus
drivers alarmed even though it remains a small portion of all drivers, Peter Kurdock, who is general counsel for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
“Children going to and from the schoolhouse are America’s most precious passengers,” Kurdock said. “So we should be doing all we can to make the bus as safe as possible.” But Kurdock predicted it will likely face pushback from the owners of the nation’s half-million school buses, much like the industry has opposed the NTSB’s longstanding recommendation to add seat belts to school buses.
Several states have required seat belts, but most school buses do not have them partly because the buses are regarded as quite safe already. But even when seat belts have been installed, the NTSB said students might not wear them, so they issued an urgent recommendation last fall after a Texas crash for districts to take steps to ensure their use.
in America without being taxed on non-U. S. income.
Though only one person has been approved, “there are hundreds in the queue that they are going through,” said Lutnick, appearing pleased with the program’s results, at a congressional committee hearing Thursday. “They’ve just set it up, and they wanted to make
sure they did it perfectly,” he said.
A year ago, Lutnick said at a cabinet meeting that the gold card would raise $1 trillion in revenue and help
“They’ve just set it up, and they wanted to make sure they did it perfectly.”
Howard Lutnick
“balance the budget.” The publicly held debt is $31.3 trillion and outside projections by the Committee for a Responsible Federal
Budget are that this fiscal year’s annual budget deficit will be roughly $2 trillion. The commerce secretary noted that each applicant pays a $15,000 fee, on top of their million bucks, which allows for “rigorous vetting” of those applying to the program that eventually opens a path to U.S. citizenship. It also allows corporations to spend $2 million for a foreign-born employee, along with a 1% annual maintenance fee. It boasts a glitzy government website with the phrase “Unlock life in America” above a depiction of a gold card: Trump’s stern visage, aside a bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, and his squiggled signature. The website also touts the upcoming $5 million “Trump Platinum Card,” which offers up to 270 days
While Trump has created a presidential identity partially around deporting immigrants without legal status, he has repeatedly supported skilled immigration to the U.S., which the gold card program could facilitate.
When asked how the proceeds will be spent, Lutnick said: “That will be determined by the administration, and its terms are for the betterment of the United States of America.” The idea is relatively common around the world, with dozens of countries offering versions of “golden visas” to wealthy individuals, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Malta, Australia, Canada and Italy.
PRESIDENT Donald Trump speaks during a meeting between the ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Washington. Photo:Mark Schiefelbein/AP
EMERGENCY personnel respond to the scene of a bus crash, March 4, 2024, on West Virginia Route 16 in Calhoun County, W.Va.
