By FAY SIMMONS
Tribune Business Reporter
jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
GRAND Bahama’s Chamber of Commerce president is warning businesses cannot rely on cruise tourism alone to sustain their operations, with the island needing more overnight visitors who spend outside the lines’ private destinations to support restaurants, shops and other local enterprises.
Ralph Hepburn said the redevelopment of Grand Bahama International Airport is critical to attracting the volume of visitors needed to support hotel investment and give businesses greater confidence to expand, hire workers and extend their operating hours.
He was speaking as the GB Chamber's Business climate and economic outlook 2026 survey identified airport redevelopment as the leading priority among 114 companies surveyed, with 82.5 per cent selecting it as one of the island's top priorities for the next five years. The respondents represented 2,985 employees across Grand Bahama.
Mr Hepburn said the airport redevelopment needs to go beyond maintaining a runway and basic terminal facilities, arguing that Grand Bahama requires the capacity to accommodate increased airlift, cargo movements and the volume of visitors needed to support larger hotel investments.
He added that the availability of adequate airport facilities will give hotel investors greater confidence they can attract enough visitors to fill their rooms, with the benefits extending to businesses throughout the island.
“If you put up a 500-room hotel or even a 200-room hotel, that we have the facilities that can cater to bringing in the amount of persons they need on a weekly basis to fill their rooms,” said Mr Hepburn.
That additional visitor traffic would give businesses in areas such as Port Lucaya Marketplace greater opportunities to attract customers staying on the island for several days, rather than depending on visitors who arrive for only a limited period.
Mr Hepburn said companies serving the wider tourism economy will then have more confidence to expand their operations, employ additional staff and extend their opening hours to cater to visitors and tourism workers spending their earnings locally.
He acknowledged the contribution of the cruise industry to Grand Bahama's tourism sector, but said the benefits were not necessarily distributed evenly across the wider business community, particularly where cruise passengers spent their time at private destinations.
“We appreciate the cruise industry for what they're doing. How they have basically changed tourism and allow for more people to come on a daily movement. We appreciate all of that,” Mr Hepburn said.
“But some industries don't benefit when these two cruise lines bring people to their private destination because they try to cater for their guests at their private destination.”
Mr Hepburn said the issue was not opposition to private cruise developments, but how to ensure that businesses outside those operations could also benefit from visitors coming to Grand Bahama.
He suggested that the Government can explore opportunities to encourage more cruise ships to make overnight stops on Grand Bahama, allowing passengers to spend evenings at local restaurants, attend shows and experience other attractions before departing.
The Chamber's survey also identified the redevelopment of the Grand Lucayan resort as a major priority, with 51.8 per cent of respondents selecting it among the five most important issues for the island's next five years. Separately, 49.6 per cent said increased hotel, resort and vacation-rental capacity would positively affect their businesses.
The findings point to the importance of expanding Grand Bahama's visitor economy while addressing other constraints on business activity. The cost of doing business was identified as the leading current barrier by 62.8 per cent of respondents, while 46.9 per cent identified power reliability and energy costs as developments that would positively affect business.
Despite those challenges, 62.5 per cent of respondents expected their businesses to grow over the next 12 months, although the Chamber said sustained confidence would depend on visible progress in the island's operating environment and major development projects.
The survey was conducted between June 15 and August 4, 2026.
It included Chamber members and non-members and was presented as a basis for discussions with the Government and the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) on improving business conditions and supporting economic growth.