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Overflight fees start at $2m this month

The Government will collect around $2m in overflight fees by end-September from aircraft passing through Bahamian air space, a Cabinet minister disclosed yesterday.

Tourism: 14% gap ‘very impressive’

Tourism is “in the best possible position it could be” given COVID-19 uncertainties with July’s stopover visitors just 14 percent down on pre-pandemic comparisons, a Cabinet minister revealed yesterday.

D’Aguilar: Bahamas COVID numbers ‘a lot better than the United States’

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar yesterday acknowledged the Bahamas’ COVID-19 numbers are high but still better than in the US which has raised our travel advisory status to Level 4.

Bahamas at pre-COVID airlift by fourth quarter

A Cabinet minister yesterday predicted incoming airlift to The Bahamas will return to pre-pandemic capacity of 4,000 seats daily by the 2021 fourth quarter with airline confidence “going through the roof”.

Minister: 'Extreme frustration' over Grand Lucayan

A Cabinet minister says it is "extremely frustrating" that the Grand Lucayan's sale continues to be delayed by the protracted wait for ITM/Royal Caribbean to close their separate deal with Freeport Harbour Company.

Minister unaware of CCA’s reported Pointe, Hilton sale

A Cabinet minister yesterday said he was unaware that China Construction America (CCA) had any plans to sell its $200m Pointe project and the adjacent British Colonial Hilton.

‘No decision’ on protocol if emergency powers end

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday the government has not yet decided how it will handle protocol for visitors should Emergency Powers Orders end next month.

‘Elephant in the room’ for 1m stopover target

A Cabinet minister yesterday said he is targeting one million stopover tourist arrivals for 2021 but acknowledged that COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy remains “the elephant in the room” for this ambition.

‘Cut hip’ for Kanoo over tourism delay

A Cabinet minister says he would “take a cut hip any day” for selecting Kanoo as the Bahamas health travel visa’s payment processor as opposed to delaying tourism’s late 2020 restart.

‘It’s bouncing back with a vengeance’

Tourism was yesterday said to be “bouncing back with a vengeance” with 13,000 cruise visitors expected in the week before Independence and Nassau’s mega resorts reporting occupancies of up to 90 percent.

Minister: ‘No favours’ to payment provider

A Cabinet minister yesterday asserted that “no special favours” were involved in hiring a digital payments provider to handle the health travel via fees generated by tourism’s COVID-19 re-opening.

D’Aguilar shrugs off contract questions

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar has defended the government’s award of a no-bid contract to Kanoo Pays, an electronic retail payment provider, to process travel health visa payments.

Home porting will deliver extra $50m

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar estimates that home porting will bring 30,000 to 35,000 cruise ship guests to the Bahamas this year who will contribute $50m during their week-long stay in the country.

US pre-clearance woe to hit travel

Travellers have been told to arrive early at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) because there is insufficient manpower at US pre-clearance to process them “seamlessly”, it was revealed yesterday.

Tourism minister ‘anxious for end to quarantines’

A Cabinet minister says he is “anxious to get rid of quarantines and curfews”, adding that this is having an impact on the ability of Bahamian hotels to jumpstart their lucrative group travel business post-COVID.

Dionisio: Health visa purchases rise

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday the number of people who bought travel health visas to visit The Bahamas last month was “substantially larger” than what was seen in April, saying the figures suggest the country is moving in the right direction.

Major resorts ‘back to 60%’ by Christmas

A Cabinet minister yesterday voiced optimism that major resorts will “get back to 60 percent of where they were in 2019” by Christmas, with May’s visitor arrivals forecast to rise to the mid-70,000 range.

‘All hands on deck’ as visa site overwhelmed

A Cabinet minister yesterday revealed it is “all hands on deck” to prevent “a surge” in visitor demand from “overwhelming” the Bahamas’ health travel visa website and deterring potential tourists.

D’Aguilar: More visitors every month

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday that visitor arrivals to The Bahamas are increasing “every month” after 64,047 non-residents bought travel health visas to the country in April.

Hutchison ‘ratcheting up’ on Royal Caribbean talks

A Cabinet minister yesterday said Hutchison Whampoa is “ratcheting up their game” to enable protracted negotiations for the Grand Lucayan’s sale to finally conclude.

MSC, Norwegian eye Nassau home porting

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) are the other two entities eyeing Nassau for home porting as the country readies to “make sure we beat expectations”.

‘Game changer’ offsets new US travel warning

Tourism chiefs yesterday hailed the government’s plans to ease COVID testing for fully vaccinated visitors as a “game changer” that will “offset” the latest US warning against travel to The Bahamas.

Tourism chief’s warning: ‘Don’t throw it all away’

Tourism industry chiefs yesterday warned The Bahamas “must reverse the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the shortest possible time” after the country was downgraded by US health authorities.

Jobless rate now 20-23%

WITH the country’s economy showing promising signs of recovery, Director of Labour John Pinder has estimated the unemployment rate is now around 20 to 23 percent.

Signs of revival as 60,000 visit in March

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said 60,000 non-residents bought travel health visas to visit the country in March, double the number that did so in December 2020.

No testing change planned

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar suggested yesterday the government does not currently plan to move away from its RT-PCR testing requirement for domestic travel and utilise rapid antigen testing instead, despite increasing calls over the issue.

Minister issues challenge: Develop ‘projects of scale’

A Cabinet minister has challenged Bahamian entrepreneurs to develop “projects of scale” that can accommodate hundreds of cruise ship passengers in similar manner to Atlantis.

D’Aguilar hopeful of uptick in arrivals by end of year

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar says he is encouraged by recent spring break travel numbers, adding he is hopeful the country will experience a “substantial” uptick in visitor arrivals by the end of the year.

The Tribune

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