NASSAU, Bahamas – The government is looking at several dates to resume tourism operations in the country, Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar revealed yesterday, The Tribune, one of The Bahamas’ leading newspapers, reported on May 14 in an article written by Leandra Rolle.
He added that officials are in constant discussions over the matter, but will not make any final decisions until given the “green light” by health professionals. In the meantime, the minister said tourism officials will be revisiting their marketing campaign and strategising on how to facilitate visitors to the country once the COVID-19 restrictions have lifted.
“My focus as the minister of tourism is to really get our tourism industry back on track,” D’Aguilar said. “We have all of the industry partners meeting and strategising on how we’re going to open given these new COVID-19 conditions. It’s very inclusive and everybody’s participating looking at the airports, looking at how you travel from the airports to the hotel, what’s the process going to be when you go into the hotel, what are the requirements for foreign visitors coming into the country.”
He added: “(We’re) looking at other destinations to see when they’re opening and when we want to open. (We’re) taking into consideration local concerns and so it’s a very robust and time-consuming conversation that is preparing our industry to re-open and get foreign currency coming back in and get foreign visitors coming back in the country to get people employed.”
Last month, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis unveiled a phased strategy for re-opening the Bahamian economy, saying the country’s advancement to each stage will be determined by “metrics and advice by the healthcare professionals.”
According to the plan, the country is currently in Phase 1B, which allows businesses to offer pick-up and delivery services if they are able to do so. It is not clear when the country will move to the next stage or even the fifth stage, which would allow The Bahamas’ borders to open for international travel and for tourism to resume.
Speaking on the matter yesterday, Mr D’Aguilar told reporters that officials had several dates “in mind” concerning the opening of the country’s borders and the restart of the tourism economy. See entire story in The Tribune at http://www.tribune242.com/news/2020/may/13/focus-get-tourism-industry-back-track/
