business@tribunemedia.net
Monday, June 29, 2026
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‘Front runner’: Financiers ‘most bullish’ on Bahamas * Near-25% of non-bank tourism funders say nation leads Caribbean THE Bahamas’ status as * Regional survey finds give country a “front runner” for tourism investment has been ‘huge boost’ on FDI investment reaffirmed with non-bank financiers identifying this nation as the Caribbean * But more warn Gov’t approvals, destination they are “most bullish” on when it comes business ease growing challenge to funding resort and other !"#$%&'#()*+$%'' +,-./01#!/2-0122#%3-45, !"#$%!&''( %$)*+!&,&-)#.!&%
related projects. Craig A. 'Tony' Gomez, the Baker Tilly Gomez managing partner, told Tribune Business that findings from the accounting firm’s 2026 Caribbean Hospitality Financing Survey show The Bahamas remains “out front” with close to 25 percent, or one-quarter, of non-bank respondents naming this nation as the one that leads the region when it comes to the confidence they have in funding tourism-related developments. So-called ‘non-bank’ financiers were described in the survey as the likes of private equity and
investment funds, resort and real estate developers, and family offices. The Bahamas was also viewed relatively favourably by traditional bank lenders in comparison to other Caribbean territories, which ranked it equal fourth alongside Antigua & Barbuda with close to 10 percent naming it as the country they are most confident about. Mr Gomez told this newspaper that the Baker Tilly survey results are “a huge boost” for The Bahamas, which survey respondents consistently named as being among their top three Caribbean destinations when it
Marina chief: Bahamas ‘too greedy’ on boating !"#$%&'#()*+$%'' +,-./01#!/2-0122#%3-45, !"#$%!&''( %$)*+!&,&-)#.!&% THE Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) president says business for many Nassau-based and other members ahead of the peak US independence holiday on July 4 is “50 percent of what it was”, and asserted: “We did this to ourselves.” Peter Maury told Tribune Business that The Bahamas became “over zealous and too greedy”, and tried to extract too much in taxes from the boating/yachting sector without proper
warning and consultation for those affected, as he branded the Government’s boating fee reforms that took effect from April 1, 2026, as “too little, too late” to fully rescue the summer season. Pointing specifically to the foreign yacht charter business, which saw its tax rate more than triple from 4 percent to 14 percent when VAT was added in mid-2022, he argued that it had “killed” the market’s highest-spending segment and all those “supportive” Bahamian businesses - such
SEE BOATING, Page 4
BAHAMAS ‘CANNOT TOTALLY REMOVE’ EIA TRANSPARENCY !"#$%&'#()*+$%'' +,-./01#!/2-0122#%3-45, !"#$%!&''( %$)*+!&,&-)#.!&% THE Bahamas “cannot completely remove” transparency and public consultation from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval process, advocates are warning, while conceding that the present ‘Town Hall’ format may not be the best. Rashema Ingraham, head of the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust's Bahamas initiative, told Tribune Business that reforms to the EIA
regulations - which eliminate mandatory public consultation on assessments dealing with development and investment projects must not be used merely to stifle dissent and feedback from local communities, environmental activists and others. Instead, she argued that the Government and Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) focus on changing the consultation mechanism used to obtain stakeholder views
SEE SCRUTINY, Page 4
6*)&7#789%: came to financing tourism projects. He explained that the findings show a solid
platform for further job-creating investments in this nation’s largest industry and employer exists, laying the foundation for increased activity and much-needed economic growth. However, the Baker Tilly Gomez chief said the results also highlighted challenges that the entire region - and not just The Bahamas - face in securing investment and bringing projects to fruition. He pointed, in particular, to frequently-expressed financier concerns over “constraints on doing business” including the long
SEE DEVELOP, Page 9
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Merchant ‘eats’ fuel cost hikes amid back to school concern !"#$%&'#()*+$%'' +,-./01#!/2-0122#%3-45, !"#$%!&''( %$)*+!&,&-)#.!&% A Bahamian home improvements retailer says it has largely “eaten” increased freight and transport costs sparked by higher fuel prices amid warnings elsewhere that parents should brace for higher expenses during this year’s Back to School shopping season. Brent Burrows II, CBS Bahamas’ vice-president of retail and sales, told Tribune Business that it has largely “absorbed” fuel surcharges imposed by shipping and ground transportation providers and only raised prices on a “handful” of items by no more than 5 percent as it bids to remain cost competitive and ride out the inflationary pressures imposed by the global oil price spike. Disclosing that the retailer has also avoided imposing higher delivery
costs on Bahamian consumers, even as local gas prices spike, he argued that it was “incredibly important” to hold-off any inventory-wide increases “as long as we cam” given that “everyone is struggling” to cope with higher daily living costs. Tribune Business has seen a chart showing that The Bahamas’ per gallon of gasoline prices are the third-highest in the Caribbean, with only Barbados and Cuba more expensive at $7.54 and $7.38 per gallon, respectively, as at June 15, 2026. Cuba continues to suffer from the US-imposed oil and food blockade, and Caribbean comparisons can be difficult given that taxes and other related factors vary from country to country in influencing what the final pump price is. However, the data is likely to again fuel concerns over high gasoline prices threatening to SEE EXPENSES, Page 11