The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A Bahamian destination provider yesterday voiced alarm that the cruise ship industry may initially bypass Nassau in favour of its private islands once it makes its COVID-19 comeback.

Peter Rebmann, Pearl Island’s managing director, said he was "still in shock" after Dionisio D'Aguilar, minister of tourism, told the nation on Monday that he would "accept for a short while" the cruise lines calling on their Bahamian private islands to test out COVID-19 health protocols once voyages resumed.

“I am still in shock about this 'may be acceptable for cruise lines not to stop in Nassau? I am speechless. Pearl Island needs the event business - from an expected $1.5m revenues in 2020 to zero the rest of the year," he said.

"Cruise ships, the way how it looks now - March 16 to who knows when - zero money. That's our major business. I understand hotel guests are not allowed to leave the property for two weeks, or I am wrong?

"Glad for the hotels as they are a major employer, and very happy for all their staff. For us this is no help - we need cruise ship guests, events. That's 90 percent of our business and the rest is hotel guests and online bookings from all over the world. We need around four weeks to have everything in order to be back in business.”

Mr D'Aguilar's comments, made during the unveiling of Bahamian tourism's second attempt at a relaunch, represented a further softening of the stance he took when speaking to Tribune Business on May 11, 2020.

He pledged then that the Government will use “whatever means are necessary” to ensure the cruise industry does not bypass Nassau and other “major population centres” post-COVID-19, adding that it “won’t allow" the multi-billion dollar industry to exclude the Bahamian capital and other major islands from its voyage itineraries once it resumes sailing in the pandemic’s aftermath

Mr D'Aguilar subsequently promised on August 11 to “encourage” the cruise lines to visit The Bahamas’ major cities immediately upon the resumption of sailing, despite the sector’s preference for its private islands. However, on Monday he indicated that the Government will tolerate the cruise lines calling exclusively at their private islands for a sort period upon the industry's returns.

Acknowledging that the cruise lines will be "extremely cautious", given the industry's pre-shutdown status as a COVID-19 breeder and the onerous protocols likely to be imposed upon it by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the minister said: "I told them as minister of tourism I would accept that [only private island calls] for a short period, but they need to come to our population centres to make some economic impact."

His comments echo those of Michael Maura, Nassau Cruise Port's chief executive, who previously said downtown Bay Street is "unlikely to see any cruise passengers" before year-end 2020 regardless of whenever the industry resumes sailing.

He explained that this was because cruise lines will likely maintain tight control of their passengers' onshore activities to ensure they remain COVID-19 free, and do not bring the virus with them when they return to the ship.

Muna Issa, SuperClubs Breezes' managing director, told Tribune Business yesterday of the October 15 re-opening date set for the hotel industry that the Cable Beach-based all-inclusive will bring bvack staff as demand picks-up. She added: "Our occupancy now is very, very low, so we have lost a lot."

Acknowledging that much depends on the spin-offs from The Bahamas' two major resorts opening, she added: "Hopefully if Baha Mar and Atlantis open flights will increase into The Bahamas and that will have a positive effect on our occupancy.”

Matthew Brear, general manager of Long Island's Cape Santa Maria property, added: "We are usually closed for storm season, September 1 to October 31, regardless of the challenges brought on by the pandemic, and look forward to reopening November 1 as usual.

"We typically welcome two fly-in pilot groups in the first two weeks of November. This year will be no exception. These groups usually bring 50 guests and 85 guests respectively. Although we expect them to be markedly smaller this year we hope that they will still bring in at least 35 to 70 guests each - still a great start to our season."

Mr Brear added: “With US Thanksgiving celebrated at the end of the month, we are optimistic November will be successful from beginning to end. We managed to open for just over three weeks in July when the borders were initially open and enjoyed success during this period, while maintaining all the health and safety protocols as required.

"No instances of COVID arose from this initial opening as far as we can tell. It was a great opportunity to not only bring 85 percent of our crew of 65 employees back to work, but also put our COVID health and safety plan into practice. The process we already have in place as as a result of our initial operation in July will be easily rolled out come November 1.

"Our team are all already familiar with the protocols necessary to maintain the health of our local community and guests. We learned a lot during this trial opening, and will simply make adjustments as necessary in order to welcome a higher volume of guests in the coming months," he continued.

"The remote nature of Long Island in general, and Cape Santa Maria specifically, offer the peace of mind travellers are looking for while still offering unparalleled standards of service, comfort and natural beauty that have been surpassing expectations for years.

"We have a priceless, loyal crew who have been providing unparalleled Bahamian hospitality for many years - one half of our crew have been on board for more than 15 years. We are so excited to welcome all of them back for our November 1 reopening.”