The Bahamas Investor

...its OECD peers as an important and reliable partner in the international efforts for transparency and exchange of information and has all the tools necessary to continue to compete and thrive. These factors provide a myriad of reasons for clients to have confidence and seek The Bahamas as a jurisdiction of choice for wealth planning. What the future holds The fiscal stimulus plans designed to stimulate world economies and reduce debt promoted by t......

...rtisans sit side-by-side with world renowned brands. If you love luxurious comfort, you have four high-end hotels to choose from. This is what Izmirlian hopes will attract the world’s rich and famous, glamorous and powerful. When the grand opening takes place, Baha Mar will play host to 2,500 VIP guests and the world’s media. But once it has made its grand entrance, what will be the megaresort’s lasting legacy for the country and its people? “I th......

...r them in an effective manner to meet those objectives.” This is made more complex by the changing lifestyle choices of high-net- worth individuals and their families. “This business has changed drastically,” says Butler. “We see more and more global families. The days when one family would be in just one jurisdiction are really long gone. We have to stay abreast of changing requirements across multiple jurisdictions and you have to realize that s......

...MA regularly invites members of the financial services industry or the law community to come and present to the shipowners. “It is all about going out and meeting people and seeing what services they want and letting them know what The Bahamas can offer,” says Kikivarakis. “We meet with registrants and cruise shipowners regularly and see if we get them on board with the idea of The Bahamas and what it has to offer outside of the registry. We can g......

...ater and skimming waves to catching air. More experienced kiteboarders opt for freestyle, which can involve a variety of airborne jumps, spins and tricks by controlled flying. But like most extreme sports, kiteboarding carries an element of risk, and caution must be exercised. Such hazards to consider include getting lofted by strong winds, equipment failure, collisions, physical stressors such as fatigue and sunburn and even encounters with marin......

...ionals including travel companies, travel products and destinations, voted for by international travel agents. “It’s an honour for The Bahamas to be recognized in such a positive way with these nominations, particularly by those who visit our shores and know us best, that is our travel agents and guests,” says Minister Wilchcombe. The nominations follow several successful promotional events including the “16 island, 16 weddings, one priceless day”......

...s; they want the “all-around package”, says local realtor. HNWIs searching for homes in The Bahamas are seeking a “place to play”, says Bahamas Realty ’s top producer for 2016 Monica Knowles. “A decade ago, high-net-worth clients wanted to know how many bedrooms and baths in the house. They would ask about a great room, the height of ceilings, how many people the formal dining room could seat. It was about size and show,” said Knowles. That same b......

...for Bahamians generally. As a result of collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce, foreign investors and government, the entrepreneurial spirit of Exumians should flourish through vertical linkages with these resort projects.” Improving infrastructure With tourism growing, the infrastructure in Exuma is undergoing a necessary upgrade. The new Exuma International Airport is set to break ground this year and will provide a new terminal building wi......

...rs know about The Bahamas Advantage and Bahamian investment opportunities. For example, De Grandpré Chait LLP and the Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) joined forces to host a Bahamas Landfall event in Montréal, Canada in May this year where Canadian banking and investment contacts attended a presentation by the BFSB. This event is purported towards sensitizing Montréal investors to Bahamian investment opportunities and to encourage greater......

...e comply in the most cost effective manner that we can. Are we harnessing, for example, financial and regulatory technology well to reduce costs in these areas? The industry must leverage its competitive advantages. The clustering of investment services, banking and trust services, investment fund administration, company formation, coupled with the law and accounting professionals, hospitality specialists, and our location, for example, can suppor......

...e US,” says Burke. “We watch for states and cities that start to do well.” For example, in the past, Atlantis worked the state of Texas, particularly cities such as Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. “They have really dramatically increased today versus where they were a couple of years ago,” says Burke. “We’d like to think the promotional and advertising efforts we made in those markets are really paying off.” A breakout year According to Burke, At......

...n Court of Justice, our mandate goes beyond simply resolving disputes that come before us. We also have a profound obligation to improve the systems of justice delivery throughout the Caribbean, for the greater good of citizens, our beneficiaries, across the entire region,” Byron said. Byron also pointed out that in every place that APEX’s technology is deployed, the solutions can replace slow, unreliable, manual processes with faster, more accura......

...in the area of sovereign citizen security and justice, in particular the information that is being handled by the justice system. Another goal was to see if the technology could be used for education and training in the sense of keeping records and diplomas available and making them easily accessible to their owner of the records, employers and learning institutions. Attademo-Hirt said they really also want to establish how useful it would be for......

...We have a mix of guests come from all over the world,” says Jackson. “Some come by boat, some in their own planes, some just come for dinner … they come here to get away from the stresses and strains of their busy lives. They can read a book by the pool or by the ocean, walk on the beach and enjoy our wonderful culinary delights.” Among Carriearl’s repeat clients are executives from the Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines, which own nearby......

...this year,” he says. Another way The Bahamas is seeking to step in line is by finally becoming a full member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), having first applied in 2001. The Cabinet is making an aggressive push to sign up by 2019, something Symonette admits is a tall order. “It’s going to be difficult, but we are going to work toward it. There are a lot of challenges. We have to do some sensitization on the whole revenue issue,” he says. S......