4 December 4, 2025
Madam Speaker,
I rise in strong support of the Resolution entitled Treasurer to Perfect Luck Assets (No. 1) Limited – Melia Vacant Land Parking Site (1).
At first glance, this looks like a narrow, technical land transaction. In truth, it goes to the heart of two big questions.
Do we, as a nation, continue to back a tourism industry that is growing in strength, quality and global reach.
And do we, as a Parliament, honour commitments given in the name of the Bahamian people, so that investors, workers, and communities can plan with confidence.
Madam Speaker, let me begin with the Resolution itself.
The Treasurer of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, as a corporation sole under section 4(1) of the Ministry of Finance Act, holds in fee simple a parcel of land described in the Schedule to this Resolution, a little over 2.077 acres on the southern side of West Bay Street in western New Providence, adjacent to the Melia site and the Baha Mar campus.
On 16 October 2019, a Supplemental Heads of Agreement was executed between the Government and the Baha Mar ownership group, including CTF BM Holdings, CTF BM Operations and several Perfect Luck entities. Under section 2.1 of that 2019 agreement, the Government undertook to convey this specific parcel, described as the “Said Hereditaments,” to an entity designated by the project company, free of liens and encumbrances, to support the proper redevelopment of the site.
In February 2020, the project company wrote to the Government identifying the entity to which this land should be conveyed. That transfer never occurred. The land remained vested in the Treasurer.
On 18 September 2024, the Government executed a Second Supplemental Heads of Agreement with the project company. Under section 2.1 of that 2024 agreement, the Government is now obligated to transfer the same hereditaments to Perfect Luck Assets (No. 1) Limited, free from liens and encumbrances, for a price of 1.6 million dollars in Bahamian currency.
The Ministry of Finance Act is clear. Section 5(3)(a) states that the Treasurer shall not sell or otherwise dispose of the fee simple of land vested in her without the prior approval of both Houses of Parliament, signified by resolution.
So this Resolution does three things.
- It recognises and gives effect to the 2024 Second Supplemental Heads of Agreement.
- It regularises the position of a parcel that should already have been conveyed.
- It provides the statutory approval required under section 5(3)(a) for the Treasurer to complete the conveyance to Perfect Luck Assets (No. 1) Limited for 1.6 million dollars.
This is the legal side. The practical side is that this land is an important support area for the Baha Mar campus. It is where parking, access, staff movements and logistics can be organised in a safe, orderly way, so that expansion on the old Melia footprint can proceed without creating chaos on West Bay Street.
Without this step, the next phase of Baha Mar’s growth is slower, less efficient and less certain. With this Resolution, Parliament clears the way for a major investment that is already agreed, already announced, and eagerly awaited by workers and businesses.
Madam Speaker, this brings us to the wider story, and here the political contrast is sharp.
When the PLP first embraced the vision of a major integrated resort at Cable Beach, many doubted that The Bahamas could sustain a project of that scale. When the project stalled and workers were sent home, there were calls to give up and treat the site as a symbol of failure.
Under Perry Christie, the PLP chose a harder path. The Government worked with the Export–Import Bank of China and with special purpose vehicles such as Perfect Luck to take the stalled project out of receivership, complete construction and secure a long-term owner.
It meant patient negotiations, tough decisions and a willingness to take political blows in order to save thousands of Bahamian jobs and protect the credibility of the country.
While that rescue work was underway, the FNM chose a very different line.
In May 2016, then Opposition Leader Dr Hubert Minnis told Bahamians to ignore what he described as “false hope and fake promises” from the Christie administration about Baha Mar.
As the soft opening of the Grand Hyatt approached in April 2017, he repeatedly described it as a “fake opening”.
He claimed the government had no real plan, questioned who would show up as guests, and suggested the opening was timed only for election optics, speaking about the “fake soft opening” of Baha Mar.
The FNM boycotted the opening ceremony. They told the Bahamian people this project was a political illusion, that the opening could not be trusted, and that the Heads of Agreement contained what he called “disastrous provisions”.
Yet, only a few months later, once in office, the same FNM government was “banking on more jobs from fake Baha Mar opening”, as one commentary put it, relying heavily on the expansion of employment at the very property they had dismissed.
Madam Speaker, that pattern tells its own story.
The PLP did the heavy lifting to save Baha Mar and restore Cable Beach as a premier district. The FNM poured scorn on that work, labelled the opening fake, stayed away from the ceremony, then claimed The credit when the jobs and guests arrived.
Today, Baha Mar is open and thriving. Thousands of Bahamians are employed there. In fact, more than 5,000 Bahamians now work across the campus.
So when this administration hears FNM figures lecture the country on Baha Mar, the contrast is clear. One side believed in the property when it was difficult. The other spent years ridiculing it, then rushed to cut ribbons once the hard work had been done.
Madam Speaker, we now move into a new chapter.
Baha Mar and the Government have signed a Heads of Agreement for a further expansion on the former Melia site. It is a 350 million dollar capital investment that will bring a fourth luxury resort and about 50 branded residences to 12 acres along Cable Beach.
The new resort, designed by the acclaimed firm Foster + Partners, will include approximately 350 rooms, four new restaurants including a rooftop omakase experience and a beachfront restaurant with a celebrity chef, a 14,000 square foot spa and fitness centre, luxury retail, pools, an outdoor bar, entertainment lounges, and 25,000 square feet of event space, with a 10,000 square foot ballroom at its core.
Groundbreaking is scheduled for 2026 and opening is targeted for 2029. The project is expected to employ roughly 400 workers during construction, with over 500 permanent roles once it is fully open.
Guests at the new resort will have access to the full Baha Mar campus, including the Baha Bay waterpark, the casino, golf course and the broad range of restaurants, bars and cultural experiences that already exist.
For that next phase to function properly, the campus must be planned as one integrated whole. That is why this 2.077 acre parking and service parcel is so important. It gives the resort the space to manage staff parking, service vehicles, tour buses, and guest arrivals in a way that reduces congestion on West Bay Street and improves safety and comfort for everyone.
So when we approve this Resolution, we are not simply moving a piece of paper from one file to another. We are helping to unlock a 350 million dollar expansion that will secure hundreds of jobs, deepen our luxury product, and strengthen Cable Beach as a leading district for high-end travel.
Madam Speaker, this sits within a much bigger story about tourism under this administration.
From January to October this year, The Bahamas has welcomed about 9.9 million visitors. That reflects a strong recovery and new growth across both cruise and air arrivals. But our focus is wider than sheer numbers. We are working to secure more spend per visitor, more nights on our islands, and more participation of Bahamian entrepreneurs in the tourism value chain.
We are seeing important new luxury and redevelopment projects come online. Montage Cay in Abaco will offer over-water bungalows, suites and residences on a 53 acre private island. Grand Lucayan on Grand Bahama is moving ahead with an 800 million dollar redevelopment, with multiple hotels, a marina and a refreshed golf course, designed to restore that island’s role as a major leisure centre. The Bvlgari Resort and Mansions at Cave Cay will add a new world-class brand to the Exuma chain.
At the same time, we have moved aggressively to fix a long-standing weakness of our model: air access.
The Government has adopted a National Aviation Strategic Plan centred on airport upgrades, stronger partnerships, increased airlift, better training, higher safety standards, stronger finances and innovation in technology. Across Cat Island, Exuma, Grand Bahama, Bimini, Eleuthera, Ragged Island, Great Harbour Cay, Mayaguana, Rum Cay, Crooked Island, Acklins, Andros and other islands, new terminals and runway works are underway or imminent.
We have expanded international airlift with more than 45 new routes in recent years, welcomed new carriers into our market, and concluded an interline agreement between Bahamasair and Emirates that opens new corridors from Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Seat capacity now exceeds pre pandemic levels.
We are modernising the digital spine of the industry. The Smart City pilot in and around Nassau Cruise Port is bringing free high speed connectivity to key tourism corridors so visitors can share their experiences in real time and local businesses can market directly to them. The Google Street View project has captured millions of images across the islands, boosting online visibility for Bahamian hotels, restaurants and attractions and supporting national planning and emergency response.
We are also aligning tourism growth with strong environmental stewardship. Mangrove restoration after Hurricane Dorian, partnerships with groups such as Coral Vita and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, and new programmes like the Bahamas Sustainable Island Challenge are designed to ensure that our blue and green assets are protected, even as visitor numbers grow.
When we add all of this together, a clear picture emerges. The Bahamas is building a tourism sector that is higher quality, more connected, more resilient and more deeply rooted in Bahamian culture and community.
Baha Mar’s next phase, supported by this Resolution, fits squarely into that direction of travel.
Madam Speaker, that returns us to the political question.
The PLP record at Baha Mar is simple. We believed the property could be saved. We did the diplomatic and commercial work to bring in new ownership via Perfect Luck and CTFE. We defended the project when it was under attack. We stood with workers who feared for their jobs. We stayed at the table until the resort opened.
The FNM, by contrast, spent years describing Baha Mar as a bad idea and dismissing the opening as fake. Dr Minnis warned of “fake promises” on Baha Mar, ridiculed the Christie government’s efforts, and repeatedly described the soft opening of the Grand Hyatt as “fake”.
They refused to attend the opening ceremony. They spoke as if guests would never come. Then, once in government, they relied on the same property for jobs, tax revenue and political talking points.
This is not an accident. It reflects two very different instincts.
The PLP sees tourism as a strategic national asset, requiring steady partnership between Government and investors, continuous improvements in airlift and infrastructure, and real participation by Bahamian workers and entrepreneurs. We defend projects that matter to national development, even when that carries political risk.
The FNM has repeatedly treated major investments as convenient targets in opposition and convenient trophies in office. At one point after taking office in 2017, they even halted a series of public private partnership projects, delaying infrastructure upgrades the country needed, all in the name of review.
Madam Speaker, investors around the world read those signals. They ask themselves a simple question.
Is The Bahamas a place where agreements honoured by one administration will be torn up or mocked by the next, or is it a country where the state behaves in a stable, predictable way, even when governments change.
By supporting this Resolution, we send a clear message.
We honour the commitments made in the 2019 and 2024 Heads of Agreement. We expect investors to meet their obligations in return. We support expansion that brings jobs, training and opportunities for Bahamians. And we will use Parliament’s authority to keep our biggest tourism engines moving forward.
Madam Speaker, this parcel at the Melia vacant land parking site may be 2.077 acres on paper. In strategic terms, it carries far greater weight. It allows Baha Mar to organise its next phase properly. It helps unlock a 350 million dollar expansion that will bring hundreds of jobs and new opportunities. It reinforces the credibility of our word as a country.
The FNM once said Baha Mar’s opening was fake. Today, the resort is open, thriving, and preparing to grow again. Our tourism industry is setting new records, our aviation and digital systems are catching up with global best practice, and investors are lining up to build across our islands.
This Resolution keeps that progress going.
I commend it to this Honourable House and invite all Members who believe in Bahamian tourism, Bahamian workers and Bahamian credibility to give it their full support.