EDITOR, The Tribune.
The comments by the Hotel Union President about the difficulties with lack of tourism are late in coming. Over the past several months there have been numerous letters to The Tribune about the difficulties with the harsh entry rules.
People have written from your three main tourist markets – The United States, Canada and the UK. They have been united in their calls to ease the rules so tourism can rebound.
All have complained that they cannot fulfill the onerous requirements. They have been winter residents with holiday properties such as our family, regular seasonal visitors and many with families in The Bahamas. None can get to Nassau as a result.
Yet your Tourism Minister and his staff fail to acknowledge any blame for the collapse of your main economic sector.
The Bahamian medical people have successfully frightened the populace to believe that tourists bring COVID-19 and must be stopped or severely restricted. Yet the great majority of people here are well and are willing to travel.
They understand they must bring a COVID-19 test but the great uncertainties with the Health Visa and the short five-day rule to arrive have destroyed the tourist business. The Health Visa must be dropped immediately.
The business community has also been mostly silent about the rules yet it is deeply affecting their finances.
Bahamian families, especially those in tourism jobs, are in a very serious situation. All local businesses are suffering from the lack of cash flow as a result. The mismanagement by your officials continues. Soon there will be a major crisis. Will you ever recover as tourists find new destinations which are far more welcoming?
Having come to Nassau for most of my life I simply cannot believe what is happening. Please change things quickly.
MARK V JOHNSTONE
Bedford, Massachusetts
USA.
January 18, 2021.
Comments
avidreader 3 years, 3 months ago
Another letter to forward to the Minister for Tourism. Will he consider the points being made in this and numerous other letters of similar content? That remains to be seen.
JokeyJack 3 years, 3 months ago
Another thing about the Health Visa, besides the 5-day limit, is that the "Expiration Date" of the visa is NOT the final day that you are allowed to travel (ie. test day is day zero. 5 days after test). So if test is 10th then you must arrive in the Bahamas no later than the 25th, but your Health Visa may have an expiration day of the 23rd.
The airlines then use this as an excuse to demand that you present your Covid test result to them as well as your health visa so that they can "check the date".
Once your arrive in the Bahamas you have to present BOTH again to a health department official and some other unidentified official. So you have to have your passport, your health visa, and your Covid test practically glued to your forehead the entire time. You also have to wear a mask in your USA airport and while on the plane/s and while in the airport in the Bahamas. One good point, however, is that you don't have to print them. Officials will view them on your cellphone (but of course they may require printing in the future if they want to further reduce travel - LOL).
Long story short, the Health Visa and your passport do not allow you to enter the Bahamas. Even though you have to present your test result to get the visa, that doesn't matter because the expiration date is not the same as the 5th day following your test.
So, basically, you would be better to just stay in Massachusetts and hit yourself over your head with your shoe a few times. The pain and trouble will be far easier to bear.
It is the not the Bahamas' fault. This type of nonsense will continue as long as there remains only ONE doctor on the entire planet Earth who understands vaccines. Dr. F.
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