Freeport in the 70's and 80's.
In a recent discussion with an acquaintance who is a long time resident of Grand Bahama, he said he hopes Freeport turns around to which I quickly reminded him of the days when we thought Freeport was going down.
After the rush of the 50's and the 60s that ushered in a lot of constructions and the building of Freeport which pushed the natives to the outer areas, there came the 70s and the smaller investors leaving quickly.
However, in the late 70s and early 80s there was still a lot of activity here. There were over ten big hotels on the island and two casinos. Also there was Sir Laker who came in to add Laker Airways to the airlift to this island. The industrial side was holding its own but things were beginning to taper off.
Around this time there were calls of a diversification of industries in the country and to stop relying only on Tourism.
Some complaints were flying that there were too many foreign croupiers and well qualified Bahamians who could do that same job
The government decided to step in and refused work permits for some of the croupiers and more Bahamians were hired in such areas.
With the business buzz of Freeport, there are others from Nassau and other islands in The Bahamas who came to reside here.
Back in the 50's when Wallace Groves was working with the lumber company they needed more people than was available and advertised which brought a lot of Turks & Caicos Islands to that island. A larger number of them followed him to Grand Bahama when the business moved to headquarter in Freeport and were part of the building up on the island.
Many teachers from the Caribbean, US and England were also recruited through the years to this island as throughout the Islands.
So Freeport was a melting pot that was always simmering with something.
Looking back at tourism in Grand Bahama we also saw added to the fun of the International Bazaar which was truly international at that time, were such activities as Speed Week which was held in that area, and the Battle of the Star held at the Princess (Country Club and Towers).
In the 60s we saw a lot of well known singers and performers, and in the 80s there were TV and Movie Stars who came to be recorded and play in the Battle of the Stars.
We also had a marathon which brought in many top named athletes.
Yet, some said, it was going down.
Others hoped for even more.
Freeport was an enigma that remains to this day. It has been as Sir Jack Hayward said in a previous recording on this blog, "the only development outside of Nassau that lasted". It took off and has been around for over 50 years, which is a record and has a long road to go.
We move in the 90s and the 2000s next week as we still hope for residents to wake up and help themselves as we ask others to @Movetothebahamas.com.
Ps. While writing this blog today, I came across this article from the Sun Sentinel written in 1986 by By IAN GLASS, Special to the News/Sun-Sentinel. Here is a portion of it to give a better idea of what the times were like:
After the rush of the 50's and the 60s that ushered in a lot of constructions and the building of Freeport which pushed the natives to the outer areas, there came the 70s and the smaller investors leaving quickly.
However, in the late 70s and early 80s there was still a lot of activity here. There were over ten big hotels on the island and two casinos. Also there was Sir Laker who came in to add Laker Airways to the airlift to this island. The industrial side was holding its own but things were beginning to taper off.
Around this time there were calls of a diversification of industries in the country and to stop relying only on Tourism.
Some complaints were flying that there were too many foreign croupiers and well qualified Bahamians who could do that same job
The government decided to step in and refused work permits for some of the croupiers and more Bahamians were hired in such areas.
With the business buzz of Freeport, there are others from Nassau and other islands in The Bahamas who came to reside here.
Back in the 50's when Wallace Groves was working with the lumber company they needed more people than was available and advertised which brought a lot of Turks & Caicos Islands to that island. A larger number of them followed him to Grand Bahama when the business moved to headquarter in Freeport and were part of the building up on the island.
Many teachers from the Caribbean, US and England were also recruited through the years to this island as throughout the Islands.
So Freeport was a melting pot that was always simmering with something.
Looking back at tourism in Grand Bahama we also saw added to the fun of the International Bazaar which was truly international at that time, were such activities as Speed Week which was held in that area, and the Battle of the Star held at the Princess (Country Club and Towers).
In the 60s we saw a lot of well known singers and performers, and in the 80s there were TV and Movie Stars who came to be recorded and play in the Battle of the Stars.
We also had a marathon which brought in many top named athletes.
Yet, some said, it was going down.
Others hoped for even more.
Freeport was an enigma that remains to this day. It has been as Sir Jack Hayward said in a previous recording on this blog, "the only development outside of Nassau that lasted". It took off and has been around for over 50 years, which is a record and has a long road to go.
We move in the 90s and the 2000s next week as we still hope for residents to wake up and help themselves as we ask others to @Movetothebahamas.com.
Ps. While writing this blog today, I came across this article from the Sun Sentinel written in 1986 by By IAN GLASS, Special to the News/Sun-Sentinel. Here is a portion of it to give a better idea of what the times were like:
"Grand Bahama, northernmost in the 700-island Bahamas chain, has had its ups and downs since the days when the only place to stay, frequented mostly by sport fishermen, was the Jack Tar Hotel at West End, and the Ministry of Tourism preferred to put all of its promotional eggs in one basket, Nassau.
"But after a down period in the first half of the 1980s, when luxury hotels sat empty and other hotels grew threadbare, Grand Bahama has taken off, largely because of the faith of its resorts` investors. Every hotel on the island recently has undergone face lifts.
"Even the airport looks better, with new lattice work trim, landscaping and a coat of pink and white paint.
XANADU RECALLS GLORY
"A Richmond, Va., company called Club Land`Or is restoring the 185-room Xanadu Beach and Marina Resort to its former glory days when it was owned by Howard Hughes, who lived in a tower penthouse. The place has been closed for two years.
"Aside from funding spectacular landscaping, Land`Or has laid out at least $3 million to construct three (yes, a mere three) opulent villas, slated to rent for about $750 a day. In addition, there is a 12-story tower with a wide range of suites and rooms. Diners are tempted by three new or remodeled restaurants, the Persian Room, Escoffier and Tiffany`s, names that conjure epicurean visions.
LUCAYAN CASINO REOPENS
"Another resort out to capture the tourist trade is Genting`s Lucayan Beach Resort and Casino, which reopened officially in June. It is owned jointly by the Bahamas Government and Genting Bedhard, a Malaysian conglomerate.
"This 250-room low-rise property oozes tropical ambiance, a prototype for future island resorts. Chuck Schlakman, who was Grand Bahama Island Promotion Board president until recently, and who doesn`t play favorites, calls it the most magnificent in the Bahamas -- ``the way a resort hotel should be built.`` And plans are in hand for adding another 160 rooms at least.
"The Lucayan Beach -- built in 1964 and closed after a disastrous fire in the mid-1970s -- has the 20,000-square-foot Monte Carlo Casino that offers dinner shows plus gambling.
"If you prefer privacy, Lucayan offers what it calls ``a resort within a resort,`` the Club Lucaya, a private lanai wing where rooms provide you with your own secluded balcony, 24-hour concierge service, your own VIP lounge, and additional nice little touches like imported chocolates, bathrobes and wine and cheese trays.
"The resort itself has five restaurants and seven bar-lounges, enough to keep the most complete hedonist sated.
PRINCESS SPRUCES UP
"Owners of the 1,000-room Bahamas Princess Resort and Casino are betting that the $10 million to $12 million they just spent refacing its casino will pay off in spades. (They also added two new restaurants, Morgan`s Bluff and La Trattoria.)"
The lure of the resort`s casino led to the formation of PCV, acronym for Princess Casino Vacations, package trips offering two-night visits priced at present from $149, three nights from $179 and one-day shorties from $69, all from Fort Lauderdale.
Braniff`s non-stop flights from a half-dozen U.S. cities to Freeport have brought in 200,000 visitors in the last 18 months, two-thirds of them just to gamble. The rest, presumably, get enough of their kicks taking in the lavish, Las Vegas-style revue called Casino Royale (shades of James Bond!).
The International Bazaar -- larder of French perfumes, Japanese cameras, Swiss watches and British woolens -- is a short stroll from the Princess. The bazaar, too, has expanded its shopping area.
OTHER FACE LIFTS
The 175-room Atlantik Beach and Corona Classic Club has completed a $5 million face lift in which a third of the rooms and five restaurants were refurbished. The club is the only resort on the island with cabanas. The Atlantik Beach also owns the 72-hole Lucaya Golf and Country Club.
The Holiday Inn just upgraded its facility to the tune of $10 million.
And the Castaways Resort, adjacent to the International Bazaar, completed a $250,000 upgrading program.
The Channel House, owned by former NFL cornerback Mike Bass, is adding 40 more units that will be ready for the winter season.
The Freeport Inn has upgraded 40 studios and apartments.
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