Some Carenage and Young Street tourism boutique say they are in danger of loosing their shirts.

They say just like Art Fabric on Young Street and the Art Council in Tanteen, they are being pushed off the scenario by higher rentals and low customer visitation.

They tired airing their concerns to a popular Sunday T.V. host but when he did some checking he said it was “unverifiable.”

He could not verify that a deliberate rumor was being spread (by whomever) that it was unsafe for tourists to go over to the Carenage via the tunnel.

He said it was true that the water taxis were removed, but that was simply because the traffic had changed direction.

The boutique owners said they then tired reasoning with the hotels, inquiring why the fleet of hotels and rental buses bypass the Carenage nowadays and one CEO said he had to consider the security of guests.

There is a claim that over a year ago there was an announcement on channel 12 that referred to “the ghetto side of town” which could easily be interpreted to mean that the area was unsafe. In fact, one visitor was heard asking a policeman “Is it safe to go over?”

The boutique point to the high police visibility, the natural allure of the Carenage, the lack of crime statistic suggesting the area was any more of a ghetto than the west side of town. The Carenage Businessman Association even suggested that steps to build over the tunnel since fear had been expressed about walking through it.

Complaints from Young Street and Carenage boutiques that they have been sideline by tourist since the Bruce Street Commercial Complex came on stream have been noted by Zublin CEO Hendrik Van Dijk who at a recent opening ceremony spoke of revitalizing the Carenage.

However there has been no explicit layout of the Zublin revitalization plan and there is a paranoid feeling in some quarters that when the lagoon Marina for 300 yacht berth completed, the concept might be to clear the Carenage of schooners and build a berthing area for an additional 300 berths – the question is, where will the commercial docks go?

“Already,” one stakeholder said, “Aboo’s and Phoenix  are said to have been offered sums by unnamed developers.”

On another related topic , the much talked about casino, newspaper report have noted Zublin’s confidence that they will get the go ahead.

The Prime Minister has said (Jan 10) that there must be a full and exhaustive consultation with all stakeholders before a decision is taken.

(And with an elections pending, the pundits say the matter is ultra-sensitive)

Observers point to a casino-type location version already opened called “PowerPlay…” that has become a popular hangout for locals.

‘PowerPlay’ is clearly a young casino version of what Zublin has planned for its $100 Million hotel and entertainment sector and probably requires no legislation to operate, while it adds to the hive of activities now associated with the Mall.

However other stakeholders on the east side of town see ‘Powerplay’ as another advantage of the mall, and would welcome some entertainment facilities themselves. Now there is no Empire Cinema, no LH Gambling Club, no Angel Harps, no internet cafes, no gravitational interests.