By FAY SIMMONS
TRIBUNE Business Reporter
jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
DEMOLITION has begun at the Grand Lucayan resort, the Prime Minister said last night, as its purchaser moves ahead with its redevelopment plans and Mediterranean Shipping Company prepares a 20-acre beach club.
In a national address, Philip Davis KC said the long-closed resort is beginning to return to life, with the beach club targeted to open in November 2028 alongside the first phase of MSC's planned cruise terminal development at Billy Cay.
“For 10 years, the heart of Lucaya has been largely dark. Most of the resort has been closed since Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The Government of the day bought it in 2018, and the Bahamian people have carried it ever since. Two attempts to sell it have failed,” he said.
“That is changing. Demolition has begun. Concord Wilshire is redeveloping the resort, and MSC through CTL Maritime will build a beach club on 20 acres of the land there at Lucaya.”
Mr Davis said the beach club will include restaurants, bars, shops, vendor booths, a spa, pools and water sports, with separate areas for families and adults. Site clearance is scheduled to begin in December.
“Site clearance for the beach club begins in December, and it is planned to open in November 2028 alongside the first phase of Billy Cay,” he added.
The wider redevelopment plans extend beyond the existing resort and beach club. Mr Davis said Concord Wilshire is also planning a second cruise resort with a Bahamian park operator, a hotel and casino resort, a mega yacht marina and a championship golf course.
On the developers' projections, the beach club and cruise resort together would attract more than one million guests annually.
The developments form part of a broader push to expand Grand Bahama's cruise tourism capacity. Mr Davis said MSC, which has operated in The Bahamas for 25 years, had been approved to invest $400m in a modern cruise terminal at Freeport Harbour.
“Its wider Freeport programme has three parts: Upgrades of the old harbour, a new terminal at Billy Cay, and a beach club at Lucaya,” he said.
At full build-out, the harbour could accommodate up to six of the largest cruise ships, although the expansion will require the harbour entrance to be widened. MSC is in discussions with the owners of the land involved, he said.
Mr Davis said MSC expects the programme to generate more than 600 direct jobs and an annual payroll exceeding $14m as the work progressed.
“On its own planning assumptions, the programme could bring up to 20,000 visitors a day, spending more than $300m a year on shore,” he added.
The projected visitor numbers and spending will create opportunities for local businesses, including those operating in the Port Lucaya area, which has faced years of reduced activity while the Grand Lucayan remained largely closed.
Mr Davis said MSC's plans include market stalls and booths for Bahamian artisans and straw vendors, as well as opportunities for tour operators, taxi drivers and excursion businesses. “My test for any investment is simple: Who benefits?” he said.
“Twenty thousand visitors a day should mean 20,000 chances for a Bahamian business.” Mr Davis also said workers who had served the Grand Lucayan during its difficult years should be able to benefit as employment opportunities returned.
“To the men and women who served the Grand Lucayan through its hardest years, this site is coming back to life, and expect your experience to count when the jobs return,” he added.
Mr Davis said the Government wanted private investment to work alongside public responsibilities, with the benefits of tourism development extending beyond individual resorts and cruise facilities.