FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Celebrity Eco-Adventures stand ready to resume tours featuring their swimming pigs at Crystal Beach in West Grand Bahama as soon as the tourism sector reopens on the island, The Tribune reported on Thursday, November 19, in an article written by Denise Maycock.
Operators Paul and Barbara Darville have kept a small staff employed to feed and take care of nine pigs and to ensure proper upkeep of their pens and premises until it reopens for business. The couple is spending $2,500 per month to pay the staff, purchase feed for the pigs and for veterinary care.
In March, the operation closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which shut down the cruise industry. Prior to its closure, the Celebrity Eco-Adventures employed 14 full-time workers and hosted 300 guests daily, particularly from the cruise ships. Locals also patronised the business.
They also operated a restaurant and bar, snorkeling and kayaking tours, music and DJ, and other outdoor activities, such as volleyball, and a 15-seater airboat.
“We are getting calls from the States and from locals about the tours,” said Paul Darville, who said they are ready 24 hours if someone wants to book a tour.
To date, the Darvilles have spent some $20,000 to ensure the facility ready, and the animals are healthy for when tourists and cruise ships return. They said that they are committed to investing in the business and to ensuring that the pigs are well cared for, even though the facility is not open.
In Exuma, however, tour operators are struggling to take care of the 60 swimming pigs and are disappointed that the government is not helping to feed the island’s main tourist attraction.
Exuma Water Sports owner Raymond Lightbourn depleted his savings and lost an estimated $2m in revenue. He spends about $70 a day feeding 12 pigs on White Bay Cay that were once featured on ABC’s The Bachelor––a significant expense in a year with so few tourists. See full Tribune story at http://www.tribune242.com/news/2020/nov/19/were-feeding-pigs-and-were-ready-reopen-again/
