The Baha Mar resort project is moving forward with construction toward a planned December 2014 completion date. The multi-billion-dollar Baha Mar is currently being built by a several-thousand-strong force of workers from China. It launched construction in 2011.

The new Memories Grand Bahama Beach & Casino Resort on Grand Bahama is projected to open in the second half of this year, according to David Johnson, director general of the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism. Johnson was speaking at a press conference at the CHTA Caribbean Travel Marketplace Conference at the Atlantis resort.

The Central/South America region added 47 new hotels with 6,121 rooms in 2012, according to data from STR Global. Among the Chain Scale segments, the upscale segment added the most new rooms in 2012 with 11 hotels and 2,017 rooms.