NASSAU, Bahamas, September 18, 2020 — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said the Minnis administration is hopeful that the re-opening of smaller hotels will help jumpstart the tourism industry, The Tribune reported on September 18 in an article written by Leandra Rolle.
This comes after several of the country’s top resorts — including Baha Mar, the Melia Nassau Beach property and Club Med in San Salvador — announced they will not reopen on October 15, the date recommended by the Ministry of Tourism for the resort industry’s return. Some resorts have even indicated that they may not resume operations until Christmas, with one property saying it won’t reopen until late 2021.
Acknowledging the challenges this poses for the government, the Finance Minister said the Minnis administration is hoping that smaller size hotels will resume operations to help attract more tourists to the country, thereby aiding in the economic recovery from COVID-19.
“Well, obviously this presents an additional challenge for us. As we’ve said from the beginning, our plan recognises that we will not have any significant tourism activity until the November time frame,” Mr. Turnquest told reporters on Friday on the sidelines of a United States Embassy equipment handover.
“We’re still hopeful that though the major hotels have announced that they may not be opening right away, the smaller hotels will be open, and we will start to see some activity both here in New Providence as well as in the Family Islands.” See full Tribune article at http://www.tribune242.com/news/2020/sep/18/government-hopeful-smaller-hotels-can-jumpstart-to/
