The Nassau Guardian
Crime poses growing concerns for tourism
While acknowledging the United States Embassy’s warnings on crimes have put “tremendous pressure” on the Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe said yesterday the country has not seen any fall-off in visitors to date.
However, Wilchcombe said it is only a matter of time before the warnings begin to turn people away from the destination.
"You have to watch what's going on," he told reporters yesterday, a day after the U.S. Embassy in Nassau released its latest warning to American citizens.
"But the truth is our tourism numbers are growing. We're seeing the numbers increase every day.
“We're seeing numbers going up incredibly high and we feel very good about it.
"That means that we have to have a two tiered approach: one where we're fighting the warnings and fighting crime, and at the same time we're continuing our aggressive marketing throughout the world.”
On Tuesday, the embassy warned Americans living in and traveling to New Providence and Freeport, Grand Bahama, to be on “heightened alert” and to take “appropriate steps” to enhance their personal security to avoid becoming victims of crime.
The warning also highlights the murders of two Americans over the past eight months and multiple armed robberies that have occurred recently.
Anthony Kyle Welch, 47, who moved to The Bahamas from Mississippi, was bound with duct tape and stabbed to death at his home on Albacore Drive, off Midshipman Road in Freeport, Grand Bahama, around 10 p.m. on Friday.
In May 2013, Kyle Brauner, 34, of Illinois, who was a crewmember of a vessel docked in Nassau, was shot dead during a robbery shortly after leaving Hammerheads Bar and Grill around 4:30 a.m.
Wilchcombe said the Ministry of Tourism now has to do some damage control.
He said the country must find a way to combat crime.
"We don't want those messages getting out there because the truth is they build up," Wilchcombe said. "It becomes like a song. If you hear a song long enough you start to sing it even though you don't like it. And so, we have to be very careful about that."
Acting Deputy Chief of Mission John Armstrong told The Nassau Guardian yesterday that the embassy has an obligation to warn its citizens of the dangers they may face when traveling here.
"[The warnings] have been sent by the embassy to American citizens who have enrolled and asked to receive such messages,” he said. “Of course they send it to other people too.
“Of course we have noticed that some Americans are being more cautious. We’re not discouraging people from coming here, just to make it clear, but we are reminding people that they should be careful and take precautions for their own safety.”
Armstrong added, “The Bahamas is a great country but don’t leave your street smarts at home.”
Wilchcombe said officials from the U.S. Embassy advised him before they issued the warning.
He said, "We must constantly work hard to ensure that the world knows that one or two bad apples do not make The Bahamas bad."
The embassy has issued several crime warnings over the years. Before Tuesday, the most recent one was issued in December 2013.
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