WASHINGTON, D.C., February 8 2020 — As I noted on my Facebook page, I woke up this morning in a “semi-depressed” mood because of some mounting personal problems and I needed a good laugh, hence the reason for sharing a post by Minister of Health Dr. Duane Sands that triggered uncontrolled laughter for several seconds.
By the way, Dr. Sands is one of the Ministers in the current government that I think is really doing a good job. I was very impressed with how quickly he set the record straight regarding the “false report” that circulated on Facebook that a cruise ship with persons believed to be suffering from Coronavirus infection “was allegedly in The Bahamas prior to a trip to New Jersey.”
Dr. Sands quickly released the following statement: “There is a report circulating that the Anthem of the Seas was allegedly in the Bahamas prior to a trip to New Jersey. It is further suggested that persons on board are thought to be suffering from Coronavirus infections. The Anthem of the Seas has not been in the Bahamas for more than a month. The last time it docked was January 2nd, 2020. The persons on board are suffering from Influenza A. Please avoid sharing unverified information.”
Given the world-wide concerns about this deadly Coronavirus, false information of this nature could certainly do untold damage to The Bahamas’ Number One industry – tourism – at a time when the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (MOTA) is doing such a remarkable job informing the world that The Bahamas is very much still open for business in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, which caused tremendous damage in two northern Bahamian islands – Abaco and Grand Bahama – early last September.
MOTA’S highly professional promotional team, however, has done a remarkable job in the months since Dorian’s rampage in spreading the word that 15 islands in the Bahamian archipelago are still open for business. In fact, along with Bahamian hoteliers and tour operators, Director General Joy Jibrilu and Deputy Director General Ellison “Tommy” Thompson are set to provide key destination updates on why a record-breaking seven million travelers visited The Bahamas in 2019 when travel to Denver, Colorado, to host events for top travel agents, tour operators and journalists. These meetings will help deliver the important message that The Islands Of The Bahamas are still rockin’ and easier to access than ever for Colorado travelers, thanks to United Airlines’ new nonstop airlift from Denver to Nassau.
BMOTA is also set to debut its new multi-channel, creative brand campaign, Still Rockin’, to entice travelers to visit The Bahamas now. As a follow-up to BMOTA’s Fly Away campaign, which debuted in February 2019, Still Rockin’ once again features Bahamian-American rock legend, Lenny Kravitz.
“The Bahamas is very excited for travelers to experience the islands’ adventurous activities that cannot be found in the mountains of Colorado,” said Director General Joy Jibrilu said in a recent press release. “The beautiful sun, sand and sea are now just a short airplane ride away.”
For the first time ever, travelers from the Denver-area can take advantage of non-stop flights to Nassau, just in time for spring 2020 travel. Beginning March 7, 2020, United Airlines will be launching a Saturday-only nonstop service between Denver International Airport (DEN) and Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) in Nassau. The flight will suspend during the off-peak travel season beginning in August 2020 and commence again on October 21, 2020 on an annual basis.
On a related issue to Dr. Sands’ statement on the false report circulated on Facebook about the Anthem of the Seas, newspapers in The Bahamas certainly should give some consideration to the advice offered recently by the Barbados National Sports Council Chairman Mac Fingall, who urged newspapers in Barbados to “take crime off the front page,” declaring that media houses are doing much harm to the country by putting crime in the spotlight.
According to the Barbados Today, Fingall told journalists at a news conference hosted by the council, “I personally have a problem with crime on the front page.”
Fingall noted that some “newspapers in the world do not put crime on the front page as a policy,” suggesting that local media should follow suit, Barbados Today reported.
Fingall further suggested that the practice had the potential to deter tourists from visiting the island and this would have a negative ripple effect in the country.
