EDITOR, The Tribune.
Our family own travel agencies in northern New Jersey and have had a long association with The Bahamas, including being part time residents.
We always had strong bookings for your country to both Nassau and the Out Islands. However COVID-19 changed everything. There are now two worlds for travel to The Bahamas. There is a fantasy world propagated by your Tourism Minister and a real world where it is difficult to get clients to travel to you. According to your Minister tourism is rebounding strongly, massive bookings are forthcoming and cruises will return to record numbers soon.
Unfortunately these rosy predictions are not what we are seeing in our agencies. The introduction of the Health Visa has killed off most interest when nearly all other resort destinations are far easier to enter without all the red tape and expense of the Visa. After eighteen months of restrictions people are unwilling to go through all the red tape you require just to come for a holiday. We understand that the Visa has just become a money making operation for the Government and those associated with the payment system. The Bahamian Tourist officials always declare they work with ‘travel partners’. There was no evidence of any consultation before your harsh entry rules were introduced which actually punish visitors with all the roadblocks.
Your Minister says the Visa must stay because he does not trust airline agents at check in to properly verify double vaccination certificates. There are no problems with these certificates at any of our local airports.
As to his predictions of massive cruise numbers returning very few of our clients want to go on any cruise anytime soon. They fear for their health in such close surroundings. As of today we have very few bookings for cruises and sadly no bookings for The Bahamas through to spring. It has gone from our most popular destination to the lowest in interest.
Your Tourism Minister has to leave the fantasy world and face the real world where your chief economic activity is being severely damaged by policies which are deterring rather than encouraging your all important tourist numbers. The Health Visa has to go and you must return to previous entry rules immediately.
JOHN LANCASTER
Princeton, New Jersey,
USA
September 6, 2021.
Comments
Alan1 2 years, 7 months ago
Here is yet another letter from a concerned travel agent. Obviously being part time residents he and his family have good feelings towards our country and only want the best for Bahamians. There have been so many letters of complaint about our difficult travel rules over the past year. Unfortunately our Tourism Minister has stubbornly refused to change his attitude. We are fortunate to have had any visitors the past while with our Covid19 infection numbers and the Health Visa complicating the situation. How can we expect a return to past numbers when we make it so difficult for people to enter our country? Even the travel agents are now understanding that the Health Visa appears not to be for health reasons but a way to make money for the Government and their associates in the payment system. Why doesn't the Government just call it a tax ? We all must be concerned when the writer states that The Bahamas has gone from their most popular destination to the lowest in interest. Why are the hotel workers union people and business people now suffering from lack of business remaining so silent? It is a frightening situation.
Dawes 2 years, 7 months ago
I think the letter writer must not be good at his job. I can see the tourists around the islands. Maybe they just don't use him. Yes there is a downturn now, but its September and that happens. And of course there would be more tourists if we had no entry requirements, but that would just be silly (as it was when we did that).
bahamianson 2 years, 7 months ago
Let's lock down and make no money . If there is no mo eye for the social services vouchers, awe well. We can live on our robust tourist industry, oil industry ,banking industry .....and the list goes on. Shut the place down.
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