Yachtbroker wrote:

post was real.... we didnt make it up.
came from www..boycottbahamas.com
the site has now been edited due to numerous cancellations of tournaments and
asta members complaining. reason forwarded not to incite but to inform so that
anyone traveling there will have
some sense of feeling of "some of the citizens" and be heads up accordingly.


Unluckily, I believe the Bahamians have not done an actual survey of
what cruisers contribute to the economy compared to other tourists,
particularly compared to the relative costs the Bahamians have to pay to
support each.

Maryland did one of those a few years back -- wish I could remember the
source -- and to the surprise of all, they found that sailboats spend
something like twice or four times as much as the average powerboater
each year.

In the BVI, they found that bareboat charterers contribute something
like ten or twenty times as much to the economy as the cruise ship
passengers PER DAY. (my average BAR bill exceeded the number I
remember.) While that probably includes the boat rental, which doesn't
apply to cruisers (and often doesn't go into the local economy, but
foreign firms' pockets), neither cruisers or bareboaters require very
elaborate shore-side facilities. No need to build a multi-million dollar
complex to let them dock more easily, or quadruple the taxi fleet to
handle the momentary surges in need, or improve the roads, or add
traffic lights, or other expensive infrastructure..... And no need for
the expensive hotels, vastly increased per-person water, power and sewer
demands.

Doesn't take much to support the several thousand cruisers in the BVI
during peak season.

If they really do look at the true numbers, I think they'd find that
their economy will suffer from the short-term cruisers, the weekend and
several-week boat-based visitors, who will choose another location.

I'm almost certain that they'll continue to soak the cruisers and court
the land-based visitors, mega-resorts like Atlantis that can contribute
mightily to (sad to say) political campaigns and allow the politicians
to gloss over the immense costs of supplying things like water, power
and sewage treatment. Quite likely, resorts' sewage treatment is less
effective than the average cruising boat, and their visitors are quite a
bit less respectful or understanding of the environments.... AND they of
course love the cruise ship lines with such comparatively deep pockets,
whose passengers demand and damage so much and spend so little on shore.

I don't think anyone will cover my bet that the "mega" tourist
industries damage their environments and cultures far more (per tourist
dollar) than cruisers ever could, even on a per-person basis.

Sadly, I doubt that they'll rescind this tax and I doubt it'll change
things much in the long run, except to make some well-connected
Bahamians and foreigners richer.

Some long-term cruisers will bypass the Bahamas, but $300 isn't that
much when amortized over the 6 or so months they take to wander through,
so I don't expect there will be much change there. Heck, it's a pittance
compared to what the Panama Canal charges, yet very few choose to take
the REALLY thorny path between the Atlantic and Pacific. *I* don't like
the charge, but since we'll only go for an extended cruise, we'll likely
pay the charge and be done with it.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/