The end of the 3-month celebration marking Sol Kerzner’s 70th birthday has coincided with the official opening of the Marina Village at Atlantis, Paradise Island. The resort complex of Atlantis opened in The Bahamas ten years ago and now covers over 34 acres of themed leisure activity. Atlantis is constantly evolving and is, at present, in Phase III of redevelopment. Part of this phase is Marina Village, 65,000 sq ft of 19 retail shops and 4 restaurants in a marketplace setting with three uniquely designed main plazas. The official opening and the birthday were celebrated with an entire weekend of entertainment that included concerts with top artists - a taste of what visitors can expect when Phase III is completed.

Scheduled for opening late 2006, and part of the Phase III development, is a 600-room luxury all-suite hotel. Further additions will include a casino expansion, a 400-unit condo hotel, more water attractions and 100,000 sq ft of convention and meeting space. Phase III is estimated to have a cost in excess of US$2 billion. Whilst construction is proceeding on schedule, the same cannot be said for Nassau’s international airport, which is still awaiting extensive upgrading by the government.

In 1994 Sol Kerzner purchased Resorts International and its ageing Paradise Island operation. For a man who had the vision to create Sun City from a desolate extinct volcano in South Africa, it was not difficult to see the potential of Paradise Island. Within eight months a magical, mythical Atlantis was born and the declining tourist industry in The Bahamas was revitalised. The resort now boasts the largest casino in the Caribbean and the world’s largest open-air marine environment. Kerzner International is the second-largest employer in The Bahamas and since Atlantis opened has halved the country’s unemployment rate. The Atlantis Phase III expansion will add 3,000 new employees when completed and Marina Village, with its local merchandise as well as international luxury items, will be an additional draw for tourists.
(E-10.19.05)

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