West End megaresort on hold

Back on Nov 19, 2007 I posted about the ecological impact of a megaresort called Ginn Sur Mer at West End on Grand Bahama Island. My question was whether people wanted to visit and experience a man-made paradise or a natural paradise. I just heard that the megaresort has been put on hold and may never be built. With a development budget of almost $3.7B, the developer had started clearing the land but evidently they did not find the demand for the homes, condos and marina slips. This is great news to all of us who have known West End as almost a wild paradise in the Bahamas. While there are certainly green and "sustainable" resorts around the world, this one would violate all rules. Maybe people are getting it. Maybe people do not want to visit a place that was once raw and wild and would become a concrete jungle with "sun-drenched beaches." Let's hope this sticks, the land returns to its natural state, turtles still nest on the beaches, sharks patrol the reefs and people can come visit and experience the place without the need to destroy it. Let's hope...