AREA FACTS

Why Grand Bahama Island was chosen for Ginn sur Mer

The Bahamas
The Bahamas, a member of the British Commonwealth, is an archipelago of more than 700 islands and 1,000 keys located just off the coast of Florida. It is already the #1 non-U.S. tourism destination for Americans.

The diversity of the islands combined with economic and political stability are the reasons why so many international companies call The Bahamas home.

Grand Bahama Island
Grand Bahama is a 96-mile island and is the closest of the Bahama islands to Florida and the U.S. Only relatively small portions have been developed.

The towns of Freeport and Lucaya have become favorite destinations for the large cruise ships that dock at the Grand Bahama port. Their casinos, resorts, straw market and tropical entertainment are tourist favorites along with the island's endless beaches.

Why Grand Bahama Was Chosen for Ginn sur Mer
The easy answer for selecting Grand Bahama to become home to Ginn sur Mer is it offers powder-white beaches, crystal-clear waters, the world's third largest coral reef, and excellent fishing -- everything you would want in a beautiful vacation resort. But there are many more reasons why Ginn Clubs and Resorts chose this island over all others:

• It is the fourth largest island in the Bahamas (after Andros, Inagua and Great Abaco), 96 miles long. Most of the other islands simply did not have enough land to support a development this big.
  
  
• It is one of the most undeveloped islands. No major buildings need to be demolished or population relocated to make way for the development. The land on which it will be built is mostly covered by wild brush and trees and simply has to be cleared.

• Ginn Clubs and Resorts was able to purchase the vacant land at a price that made feasible the magnitude of development it planned.
  
  
• The location of Grand Bahama is especially appealing. It is the closest island to the U.S., just 55 miles off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida, a 20-minute hop by plane, 90-minute trip by boat.
  
  
• No sizeable, undeveloped plots of oceanfront land exist on the U.S. east coast. Grand Bahama offered the next closest option, over 2,000 acres of land of which six miles are oceanfront.
  
  
• The climate is outstanding with year-round sunshine and mild temperatures. The trade winds that blow almost continually throughout the islands of The Bahamas create a warm, agreeable climate which varies little throughout the year.

• Grand Bahama is known for having friendly people, no pollution, no traffic congestion and no crime.
  
  
• The country has a stable government, one which looked upon the Ginn sur Mer development as a very desirable project that would benefit the country and therefore was willing to offer various concessions and enticements.
  
  
• The country offers a variety of conveniences that will make it easy for Americans who come to visit. For example, U.S. dollars are accepted as currency. The official language of The Bahamas is English. The country operates on U.S. Eastern Standard Time.
  
  
• Grand Bahama has a large, modern international airport as well as a port able to accommodate large cruise ships, both of which will deliver millions of visitors to Ginn sur Mer every year once it is built.