The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Easter holiday is looking “very good” for domestic tourism now that the COVID-19 inter-island testing requirements have been dropped, multiple Family Island hotel operators said yesterday.

Cheryl Bastian, president of the Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board, told Tribune Business: “Things were favourable for us long before the Government eliminated the COVID testing for inter-island travel, but it is a welcome thing. People in the United States are hardly wearing masks, and it’s not that they’re being careless, but they know the numbers are down and they just had enough.”

Removing the testing requirement for inter-island travel from New Providence and Grand Bahama “just made sense” considering Americans are not wearing masks any more and the COVID-19 infection rate is dropping, Ms Bastian said. “This could only now be a plus for domestic tourists travelling through the islands. It is not being irresponsible, but we are being guided by the health professionals,” she added.

“I agree with Mr [Robert] Sands [president of the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association] that our COVID levels are lower, so that it is going to encourage more business with the conventions and conferences and others. So we need to slowly ease this down. I see now with Canada they are starting to open up their gateway and reduce just about all of their restrictions, even for masks, and I think we are going to follow them after that and I think the US will as well.”

With the spike in COVID-19 cases in Europe and Asia, Ms Bastian said the Government may continue with the COVID-19 entry testing “just to be sure.” She added: “In enclosed areas we should continue with the masks.

“Easter is looking very good, but it is a little lower because we have found that even our American friends, where the most of our tourists come from, they respect Easter and don’t travel as much and prefer to have family time on the ground at home.

“But, for us, Easter looks very healthy for domestic travellers, which is about 20 percent above what it usually is. That is really encouraging. Every day we are slotting in all of our open spaces and there is very keen interest in wanting to come to The Bahamas.”

Speaking of a recent fishing conference she attended in Salt Lake City, Utah, she added: “Americans were coming to our booth. They were flocking there and getting the information, and we’re trying to guide them to get the right information, what are the best deals and what type of offers we have.

“We even have a domestic programme that a lot of Bahamians are not fully aware of that you can stay at one of the board properties for four nights, and you get two free tickets. You can fly into Long Island, you can go to a wedding or a funeral or something, and you don’t have to pay for the ticket.”

Faron Sawyer, president of Cherokee Air, said of the inter-island testing elimination: “I think this is a good thing. Things are picking up and COVID-19 is nearly gone. I can see our bookings looking good for the summer, and a lot more people are going to travel.”

Easter is looking “awesome” for Cherokee Air as “we’ve started to get calls now, and people are wanting to move about. I would say just before Easter and after Easter, we have more than we could handle,” Mr Sawyer said.

Anthony Hamilton, Southern Air’s director of administration, and president of the Bahamas Association of Air Transport Operators, added: “I can say we saw a spike in demand before the lifting of the testing requirement, but I suspect demand will rise now that there is relief from the cost and red tape in connection with travel.”