The Bahamas Investor

...make up 80 per cent of the Bahamian construction sector and are struggling the most. “The smaller contractors need a real, vibrant housing programme going on, whether government or private,” he says. “The majority of our industry are smaller companies and they really are the ones who look for construction of homes to give them the kind of activity they need. “Even though our larger contractors have work, the smaller firms are the ones still feeli......

...ible for the operational running of the business. In 1999, Baeres took the company public with a market capitalization exceeding $1.1 billion. Intertainment has acquired rights to over 200 motion pictures through licensing and co-financing deals, among them Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis, Twisted with Samuel Jackson and Art of War with Wesley Snipes. In the US, the company has entered into exclusive distribution deals with Warner Brothers, Fox......

...n addition, the time frame has been relaxed, giving institutions longer to comply with the FATCA provisions. “The legislation has softened, reflecting the realities of the challenges in implementing them the way they were proposed,” explains Lewis. “It is a bit of relief.” However, the accountant warns that there is still a lot of work to do. “There is a lot of effort involved in getting compliant,” he says. “Certainly this is not something organi......

...world, but there is no region that is more resourceful,” he said. “We can compete in a business that is so fiercely competitive.” CHTIC is organized by the CHTA and the CTO. It attracts government officials, investment promotion agencies, hoteliers, investors, lenders, construction companies, financial organizations, real estate/mortgage intermediaries, tourism industry officials and other tourism entities. The event first took place 16 years ago......

...ists arrivals than advanced economies. This is going to generate increased competition with obvious demands for product innovation.” According to Adam Sacks (right), president of Tourism Economics, growth lies in the Latin American markets and the US. Sacks’ company provides quantitatively based consulting to the tourism sector and has advised hotels, aircraft manufacturers, theme parks and destinations on market opportunities. Sacks placed the re......

...ract and under construction are outside the United States. Hughes made the comments during a panel session at the 16th annual Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC) held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last week. The Hilton brand, according to Hughes, is growing “rapidly” in China and “selectively” in Europe. “While our vision is to be capital light and participate with developers to build our brands, distribution channels and managem......

...and senior executives from around the region.   Follow TheBahamasInvestor.com’s exclusive highlights here. Regional airlift critical to tourism sector success May 3rd 2012 Regional tourism tapping new opportunities May 1st 2012 Developers urged to seek alternative financing Hilton looks to grow brand worldwide April 27th 2012 Lenders see moderate growth in tourism sector April 26th 2012 Regional tourism experts warn against tax increases April 2n......

...culty finding equity sources, particularly for projects of major scope and complexity. “I think we’ve seen from the insight on our panel that there is not one answer, one financing source, one way to structure a project,” said panel moderator, Jay DiGulio (right), co-founder of Boutique Club International LLC, with offices in New York City. As the president of Boutique Club, he is currently working on several mixed use projects, shared ownership a......

...icole Rodriguez (left), chief marketing officer of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. “This duality has not only helped us in Europe but also Latin America which is a market we still have opportunities to tap into. In Europe we’ve seen many great strides particularly in the UK and in Germany.” By year’s end the tourism company hopes to announce new air arrivals to Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Chile. For its part, The Bahamas officially op......

...port from downtown Nassau freed up prime property for touristic and other commercial developments. tblair@dupuch.com Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and State Minister of Finance Zhivargo Laing unveil the plaque to officially open the new Nassau Container Port at Arawak Cay, May 3. Also pictured from left: Minister of the Environment Earl Deveaux, James Mosko, and Michael Maura Jr, CEO Arawak Port Development. At far right is National Security Min......

...great cities have this residential component, which we have elements of, but we want to expand,” said Moss. “We are in conversations with a couple of companies and are working on how we can get that done.” cmorris@dupuch.com......

...d anti-ageing centre and wellness centre, so that world class athletes can come here and continue to fine tune their performance in their off-season and during the season. Meanwhile those of us who are not professional athletes but would love to stay healthy can live here and live longer, so these are all part of the initiatives. “One our shareholders, Ernie Els, designed the golf course. It is a desert links course. It’s pretty unique and challen......

...al of these categories of investment funds within 72 hours of receipt of a complete application, complementing the fast tracking process that already existed for Unrestricted Fund Administrators (UFA) to license Professional and SMART©Funds. Future growth The Bahamas’ funds industry has experienced steady growth based on funds that are domiciled in the country and a large number of funds that are domiciled elsewhere but are administered from the j......

...tending the event being held at the British Colonial Hilton in Nassau. The Complying With FATCA conference is organized by the Ministry in collaboration with the Bahamas Assocation of Compliance Officers (BACO) and has attracted financial professionals from across the Caribbean. Opening the event yesterday, Minister for Financial Services Ryan Pinder said the conference was “a groundbreaking opportunity” and “the first of its kind in the region.”......

...to spend on proper roads and proper schools.” The next Wellness Boot Camp takes place November 12. cmorris@dupuch.com......