The Tribune

In a recent church service held at St Agnes, staff of the Ministry of Tourism assembled to give thanks as an organisation, just two months into the recovery and rebuilding efforts for Abaco and Grand Bahama post Hurricane Dorian.

During the service, Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar, announced that international flights to Grand Bahama will resume later this week, restoring greater access to the touristic product on the island.

“Grand Bahama is already rebounding: the major resorts and attractions are open; ferry service from South Florida is in full operation, and international flights will resume by November 15. The speed at which Grand Bahama island is recovering is truly a testament to the resilience of our country and the Bahamian people,” he said.

Mr D’Aguilar also noted that the marketing team of the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation is working diligently to increase the visibility of the Bahamas in the international travel marketplace.

“You’ve no doubt seen the creatives of our dynamic, visually appealing multi-phase Bahamas campaign, our ‘14 Islands Welcome You,” he said.

At the service, he further shared research done by ForwardKeys, a travel analytics firm, which predicts that the tourism industry in the Bahamas will take less time to recover from Hurricane Dorian than other Caribbean destinations did from previous storms.

The initial rebound in post-hurricane visitor arrivals has been stronger than elsewhere in the region. Just one month after the hurricane, the Bahamas has, in fact, reached 80 percent of pre-hurricane arrivals.

Minister D’Aguilar concluded that the Ministry of Tourism is committed to helping the country’s brothers and sisters in Abaco and Grand Bahama to rebuild their lives and their islands’ infrastructure.