Atlantis Bahamas resort cuts 800 staff

The Bahamas’ popular Atlantis resort announced on Wednesday that it would be laying off 800 of its employees, citing low occupancy rates as the reason for the move. Management of the resort noted that the global economic downturn was discouraging many tourists from booking exotic getaways.

The announced cuts amount to a reduction of approximately 10 percent of the workforce at the largest private employer in the Bahamas.

George Markantonis, president of the resort’s parent company Kerzner International Bahamas, said: “This decision is both difficult and emotional as we are fully aware of the impact on the employees affected, the remaining staff and the Bahamian community in general.”

The economy of the Bahamas is driven by tourism, and has been suffering from a sharp drop in tourist arrivals from the U.S. Hundreds of workers at other hotels and resorts have already lost their jobs or had their hours cut.

Atlantis is located on Paradise Island, covering around three-fourths of the 800 acre island’s land mass. The island is known for its towering pink structures and its marine habitat. In 2007, Atlantis completed a $1 billion expansion project that increased the number of its rooms to 3,000.

Sol Kerzner, the chairman and CEO of Kerzner International, indicated that the job cuts at the company’s flagship resort are a reflection of cost-cutting measures that have been introduced throughout the company, which develops and manages hotels, resorts and casinos internationally.

Visitors from the U.S. account for more than 80 per cent of the total travelers visiting the Bahamas. The decline in arrivals began early in 2008, and accelerated as economic conditions deteriorated, said the research manager for the Bahamian tourism ministry, Georgina Delancy.

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