Unfinished resort leaves Bahamas in the lurch

Nassau, Bahamas

TREI Bethel had been looking for work in the Bahamas for about a year when he finally got a break: a coveted spot in a programme that trained young Bahamians to work at Baha Mar, a US$3.5 billion mega-resort nearing completion on Nassau's white-sand Cable Beach.

There, he said, he learnt about fine wine and the choreography of five-star service. He saw the resort as a place of opportunity and stability in a difficult economy.