Baha Mar’s soft opening has been pushed back from the original target date of Friday, March 27, according to a statement provided to Hotel News Now by Baha Mar spokesperson Alyssa Bushey.

The statement reads, in full:

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Today in Busan, Korea, Z/Yen Group publishes the seventeenth Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 17) sponsored by the Qatar Financial Centre Authority. The index rates 82 financial centres. The full report is available here.

Two members of the National Development Plan (NDP) committee travelled to Grand Bahama March 17 for a series of forums as a part of the first phase of their mission.

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Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie will be part of the delegation expected to meet with US President Barack Obama next month ahead of the Seventh Summit of the Americas in Panama City April 10-11.
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Highlighting the importance of engaging young people in The Bahamas’ second largest industry, Minister of Financial Services Hope Strachan announced yesterday that her Ministry’s planned regional centre of excellence will offer accredited financial degrees – giving younger professionals the chance to further their education.

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Pictured: Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe. (BIS Photo/Vandyke Hepburn)

Building on the momentum of 6.2 million visitors to The Bahamas in 2013, the Ministry of Tourism recently reported double digit growth in stopover arrivals, a measurable spike in hotel room occupancy levels and rates for January 2015.

At 74,000 visitors, this represented a 13 per cent increase over the same period in 2014, a 7 per cent hike in hotel occupancy levels and an average room rate increase of 11 per cent.

During the announcement, Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe said that he believes this performance means that the country is on the right track as far as tourism is concerned and is the result of his ministry’s comprehensive and multi-tiered marketing strategy covering the full tourism gamut from sports and culture to co-branding, major groups and romance tourism.

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There’s a new hotel coming to The Bahamas. The property aims to boast an “artistic side of The Bahamas,” according to a statement.

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This is an excerpt from Caribbean Journal as it appeared on March 18, 2015. For updates or to read the current version of this post in its entirety, please click here.

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Preparations for the upcoming Bahamas Carnival and the prospect of new air charter services from New York City to Marsh Harbour Abaco top the business news agenda on the ZNS Network this week.
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Brookfield Asset Management has promoted Paul Burke (pictured), chief operating officer, to president and managing director of the Atlantis Paradise Island resort following the resignation of George Markantonis. Burke will assume his new position immediately.

Burke has been with Atlantis since 2011. In his new role, he will lead and oversee Atlantis’ business development, initiatives, growth, and overall operations of the property.

A veteran in the hospitality industry, Burke has served as a senior executive in the industry for more than 30 years, including stints with Starwood Hotels and Resorts and ITT Sheraton Corp.

Cantor & Webb has received the Tax Advice Award within the Consultant to Family Office Categories at the 2015 WealthBriefing Family Wealth Report Awards.

Winners were revealed at the Mandarin Oriental in New York on March 12, 2015, during a gala event attended by firm partners Steven Cantor and Kathryn von Matthiessen, who were among the 360 guests at the event for wealth management firms and individuals in the US and Canada.

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