Jamaican-born businessman, restaurateur and tourism mogul George Myers has died. He was 83.

Myers moved to the Bahamas in 1963 where he began his career at the Nassau Beach Hotel, moving through the ranks from bar manager to general manager and vice president by 1967.

He then became the president of Resorts International, where he played a major role in the development of Paradise Island as a premier tourist destination in the Bahamas.

“He was a pioneer and a true champion of tourism in the Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean, contributing and shaping the nation’s tourism for over 40 years. He was a developer and founder of the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board; the Paradise Island Tourism Development Association; and a primary force behind the Caribbean Travel marketplace. He served as president of the Caribbean Hotel Association; the Bahamas Hotel Association and was an influential force to so many private and public tourism entities,” a press release said.

In addition, as an iconic businessman, visionary and entrepreneur, Myers created the Myers Group of Companies in 1992 and for over 30 years, he managed some of The Bahamas’ leading hotel properties under his resort management company.

Later, the Myers Group of Companies expanded to operate the world’s leading quick-service restaurant franchises in the Bahamas.

These include KFC, Dunkin Donuts, Quizno’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Anthony’s Bar & Grill and the iconic Luciano’s restaurant.

For his dedication to tourism, he was awarded the Caribbean’s “Hotelier of The Year” by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA); the “Hotelier of The Year” by the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA); the Government’s “Silver Jubilee Award” in 1998 for his contributions to tourism and national development and “the Sir Clement Maynard Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2006 for outstanding contributions to the Bahamas Tourism Industry.

He was also the recipient of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009; the CHTA, BHTA and Nassau Paradise Island Promotions Board “Special Tribute” in 2017 for being a tourism development icon and mentor and most recently awarded the country’s highest honour, the “Order of the Bahamas” in 2022.