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Dolphinarium reps arrive, meet with business groups – Model to be unveiled to public next week –
by The Daily Herald
Posted: Sep 23, 2005 15:22 UTC
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PHILIPSBURG - Representatives of Atlantida, the dolphinarium company interested in setting up operations in St. Maarten, are in town.
The Atlantida team, headed by Director of Development Jaime Babb, has already met with representatives of St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), St. Maarten Taxi Services, the Indian Merchants Association and Rotary Club Mid-Isle.
Presentations were also made to representatives of the St. Maarten Chinese Association, St. Rose Tenants Association and Small Business Development Foundation (SBDF) on Thursday. A similar presentation will be made to the Chamber of Commerce.
During the sessions, information was given about Atlantida highlighting its operational and managerial experience in running interactive marine facilities in Cancun and Cozumel, Mexico, for several years, according to a company press statement.
“We spoke about the benefits for St. Maarten in having such a programme. We showed a small promotional movie to demonstrate how people interact with the mammals and how the facilities in Mexico look,” Babb explained.
He said he was very pleased with the response and the positive feedback from the various groups. “The message is clear that Atlantida wants to provide the island with a high quality product that will not only bring people to St. Maarten, but keep them coming for many years to come,” he said.
Atlantida plans to set up a Dolphinarium adjacent to Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facilities. A scale model of the dolphinarium facility will be unveiled to the public next week.
“All we want is a fair chance to show St. Maarten the facility we plan to construct and how it will benefit the island,” Babb told the group at Shiv Sagar Restaurant Thursday.
The planned facility will be 14,000 square metres and Atlantida will invest US $10 million in it.
“The project will create jobs. It will create several support industries and it will also be a boost for the taxi drivers and the merchants of Front Street because of a special referral package we are attempting to introduce. Not only that, the project will generate more flow to the Philipsburg area,” continued Babb.
Babb plans to break ground for the project within a month. Completion of the project will be 12-18 months after.
The news of these meetings was met with outcry from local animal rights and environmental groups that have been battling to stop the planned project. Neither the groups nor the general public have yet heard the plans of Atlantida, said one group representative.
The groups have written to the Island Government objecting to the project and a drive that has netted several thousand signatures so far is still ongoing. Several international animal rights and welfare organisations have also threatened to call on tourists to boycott the island if the facility is allowed to open.
The Central Government, in its dolphins in captivity policy adopted last month, vowed to not issue any more permits for such facilities after St. Maarten’s permit is granted.
In the policy, the Central Government stated that further proliferation of captive dolphin facilities was “undesirable, unwarranted, and will not be considered for the Netherlands Antilles.”
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