Carnival’s Duffy tours Grand Bahama, hosts event to empower young women

‘We fully embrace Carnival’s partnership efforts, which have been social and economic, and we are very confident this will be a meaningful experience for all,’ said Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama, in welcoming the Carnival team.

New destination development

‘We are so excited to visit beautiful Grand Bahama and tour the site of our development. We are looking forward to getting our project started in the near future,’ Duffy said. ‘And working with GirlCON is just one of the many ways we plan to partner with the Grand Bahamian community and show our commitment to making a positive impact on the island.’

350 attendees, many impacted by Dorian

GirlCON’s event was designed to promote the organization’s vision of inspiring and empowering young Bahamian women. Duffy delivered the keynote address to 350 high school juniors and seniors, many impacted by Hurricane Dorian.

The program also included a panel discussion with Carnival’s Chief Human Resources Officer Bettina Deynes on the challenges she and other panelists faced working in traditionally male-dominated fields, while encouraging and guiding the next generation of female leaders as they prepare for their journeys after high school.

‘GirlCON’s mission is to shape the future leaders of Grand Bahama, so I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this meaningful conversation and to help inspire the young women in attendance,” said Deynes.

Sen. Katherine Smith-Forbes, founder and president of GirlCON, said she started the organization to empower young Bahamian women to create strong futures. ‘For the past two years, I’ve seen this vision transform into a reality, impacting the lives of more than 700 young women.’ She added that having Carnival’s support this year following Hurricane Dorian has made the annual event even more special.

400,000 Fun Ship visitors annually

As one of the largest year-round sources of tourism to Grand Bahama, Carnival takes more than 400,000 passengers annually to the island aboard 10 ships sailing from nine US homeports, providing significant economic impact.

Carnival Cruise Line's new Grand Bahama destination will be developed on the south side of the island in cooperation with the Grand Bahama Port Authority and the government of the Bahamas. More details will be revealed over the coming months.