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'Robust' Thanksgiving from 90k LPIA arrivals

A Cabinet minister yesterday voiced optimism for a “robust” Thanksgiving and Christmas tourism season after 90,000 persons moved through Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) last week.Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, spea

Bahamas' 6.4% bookings drop-off 'pretty remarkable'

A Cabinet minister last night said it was “pretty bloody remarkable” that The Bahamas’ forward bookings for November to January 2020 were only off 6.4 percent given Hurricane Dorian’s impact. Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, tol

Angry hotel unions raise strike threat

Hotel workers were yesterday warned it would be “absolute madness” to further damage a tourism industry already “reeling” from Hurricane Dorian with industrial action during the peak winter season.

Arrivals down 14% - but it could be worse

VISITOR arrivals were down 14 percent in September highlighting Hurricane Dorian’s immediate affect on The Bahamas’ tourism industry. According to Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar yesterday this was “significant”, but officials thought it would h

Govt targets 'best in class' over aviation

The government’s aircraft registry ambitions are critical to developing a “best in class aviation sector”, a Cabinet minister telling Tribune Business yesterday: “Now the journey begins.”Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told Trib

Tourism eyes New Year 'bounce back'

The Bahamas is on target for a New Year “bounce back” post-Dorian with first quarter stopover tourists up two to four percent compared to 2019’s record, a Cabinet minister revealed yesterday. Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, tol

Minister hails 'feather in cap' of Chinese air deal

A Cabinet minister yesterday hailed the signing of an air services agreement with China as an “additional feather in the cap” for The Bahamas and its tourism product.Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, confirmed to Tribune Business

Minister moves to ‘arrest double digit booking fall’

The Minister of Tourism yesterday said he is quickly moving to “arrest the double digit decrease” in forward visitor bookings post-Dorian with some hotels suffering a 20-40 percent fall-off.

'Deepen the spend' on 17.5% tourist rise

The Bahamas must “deepen the spend” if it is to maximise the “fabulous” 17.5 percent increase in stopover visitors for the year to end-May 2019, a Cabinet minister conceded yesterday. Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told Tribun

Bahamasair to spend $9.3m on aircraft maintenance

BAHAMASAIR will use $9.3m of its total budget in the new fiscal year on heavy maintenance to its aircraft and another $1m to move the headquarters to a building complex on Blake Road.

Hotels and unions told: Calm down

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar urged the hotel union and industry officials to allow “calmer heads to prevail”, insisting that a strike at this time would have a devastating impact on soaring tourism numbers.

Govt will 'explore options' if web shop tax talks fail

A Cabinet minister yesterday confirmed the government will “explore its options” if it is unable to persuade the four web shop hold-outs to pay due taxes via negotiation.

‘Old school’ firms face challenge to remain relevant

A Cabinet minister yesterday said “old school businesses” will find it hard to remain relevant in a rapidly-changing world where services are increasingly the preferred product.

Seize ‘new optimism’ for Bahamian empowerment

A Cabinet minister yesterday urged The Bahamas to seize the “new optimism” and empower more local ownership of an economy that “is beginning to tick”.

'Attack does not warrant formal advisory about travelling to America'

THE savage knife attack of a Bahamian at a Pembroke Pines eatery over the weekend, while “unfortunate,” does not warrant a formal advisory for Bahamians travelling to the United States, two Cabinet ministers have said.

Privatisation targets wages 99% of income

A key privatisation target’s payroll costs now equal 99 percent of revenues, a Cabinet minister has revealed, as he confirmed: “We’re trying to outsource as many entities as possible.”

Hotels eliminate ‘cannibalisation’ fears in 2018

The Bahamian hotel industry’s strong 2018 performance has eliminated “genuine fears” that Baha Mar’s full opening would “cannibalise” the market, a Cabinet minister argued yesterday.

Govt gives up $25m annually on web shops

The Government has agreed to forego $25m in annual revenues to settle the taxation dispute with the web shop industry, a Cabinet minister revealed yesterday.

Nassau told: ‘Don’t fear’ Freeport’s cruise ports

Nassau has “nothing to be afraid of” from Freeport’s two mega cruise ports, the Minister of Tourism is arguing, while admitting both projects have added “fresh” urgency to the capital’s revival.

D'Aguilar encourages new creative ideas

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar has challenged Grand Bahama residents to come up creative business ideas to draw tourists, a day after plans for Carnival Cruise Line’s mega-port in East Grand Bahama were formally announced.

Cruise crime video is ‘patently untrue’

A Cabinet minster last night said he was “not particularly bothered” by a widely-circulated video labelling The Bahamas’ the world’s most unsafe cruise destination because it was “patently untrue”.

New pilot requirements ‘quite close’, says minister

AVIATION regulators are “quite close” to the introduction of new pilot licencing requirements, Tourism and Aviation Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday.

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