ABSTRACT
The Bahamas is an archipelago of 700 hot, flat coral islands (40 are inhabited) lying southeast of Florida and famous for its offshore banks and as the birthplace of Sidney Poitier. Tourism developed there early: Nassau, the capital of New Providence Island, attracted the swanky (and cranky) rich in the 1930s, including the Duke of Windsor, who was sent there as ambassador after his abdication. Another tourism bonanza followed in the 1940s when – with concessions and handouts – a landscape of resorts and casinos replaced scrubland and mangroves on the two islands of New Providence and Grand Bahama. Crooks and adventurers abounded, and corruption continued to be part and parcel of tourism dominated by the white merchant class. Modern-day investors include Sol Kerzner, who developed Atlantis, a fantastical resort in Nassau, and the proposed Bimini Bay Resort that is the focus of a Tourism Concern campaign. America seems to dominate the culture, although the great post-Christmas carnival of Junkanoo is a reminder that most Bahamians have an African heritage; then the streets of Nassau rise up in costume, drumming and dance. Otherwise, cruise ships, tacky shopping malls and resort life point to a tired overexploitation.
