The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamian tourism industry's post-COVID re-opening made a slow start yesterday with New Providence hotels reporting minimal guest arrivals.

Muna Issa, Breezes Bahamas managing director, told Tribune Business via e-mail: "We are open and ready for business. We have four guests checking in today, but we don't have flight information, so we aren't sure what time they will arrive.

"Everyone is very excited to welcome our first guests. Excitement is almost on par with our grand opening 25 years ago on September 1, 1995. Based on the source of the booking they should be coming from the US, but we won't know the exact state until they arrive. We also don't have a time, but we understand the first flight lands at around 11am, so hopefully by 1pm."

Ms Issa voiced hope that The Bahamas' reopening will give potential travellers sufficient confidence to resume bookings and travel to this nation. She revealed that Breezes had been expecting several group bookings "that have since cancelled", and said: "We are hoping now that we have opened confidence will be restored and persons will start to book again."

The Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), Lynden Pindling International Airport's (LPIA) operator, had earlier this week said it expected to receive six incoming international flights from various US markets as The Bahamas opened its borders following a near three-and-a-half month lockdown.

However, several of those flights were to originate from areas such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Houston - all of which are in the middle of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The increased infection rates in its key tourism source markets illustrate the dilemma The Bahamas faces between re-opening its largest industry in a bid to save the economy and the health risks involved in potentially exposing its citizens to visitors infected with COVID-19.

Dionisio D'Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, said the health protocols implemented by the tourism industry can mitigate - not eliminate - the risk presented by travellers who are potentially carrying the virus.

The government has narrowed the timeframe during which visitors must obtain a negative PCR COVID-19 test from ten to seven days prior to arriving in The Bahamas to further counter the increased US infection rates.

Meanwhile Pablo Casal, the British Colonial Hilton's general manager, said the resort was "getting a few guests, but very limited" after remaining open throughout the pandemic.

Diane McTague, the Holiday Inn Express' general manager, said her property as well as the Hilton and Courtyard Marriott had stayed open throughout COVID-19.

She added: "We are expecting a few guests today. We are expecting more than three guests, and we are looking forward to that absolutely. We're probably about 90 percent down on occupancy because we would be full this time last year, but not now obviously with the new world."

"We're only a small hotel with just 58 bedrooms, so the hotel fills up pretty quickly. For the larger hotels, carrying more rooms than we have, it's probably going to take longer for them to get back to normal occupancy."

Voicing optimism over the Holiday Inn's short-term prospects, she said: "The big resorts are closed right now so that might help us as well with some occupancy. We just have to wait and see. We have put all of our protocols in place, and we are just looking forward to having guests back."