By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Bahamian tourism is going to “have to live with” COVID-19 and devise measures to reassure both visitors and industry employees that the sector is safe, a Cabinet minister warned yesterday.
Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told Tribune Business that the Government needed to work with both the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) and other stakeholders in developing protocols to create the necessary “comfort” once borders re-opened and travel commenced.
Arguing that The Bahamas was “going to have no choice” but to introduce such controls, Mr D’Aguilar said the country needed to begin thinking about this now and learn from the measures other countries are putting in place.
He pointed to the likes of Emirates Airlines, which is screening the temperature of passengers - and conducting 10-minute tests on samples of their blood - to ensure they are COVID-19 free before they are permitted to board a plane. Then there was Singapore, which is hiring a private sector consultant to develop a scheme for testifying - and certifying - that tourism industry staff have a clean bill of health.
Revealing that The Bahamas is already fielding calls from airlines wishing to resume flights to this nation, and inquiring whether there was sufficient hotel rooms to accommodate their passengers, Mr D’Aguilar suggested that smaller Bahamian resort properties will likely “get back on stream a lot quicker” than mega resorts such as Atlantis and Baha Mar.
He added that “firing them up is going to take some time”, and said: “They’ll stage the re-opening, do it bit by bit, as opposed to all at once. They’ll have to be comfortable that there’s scale to warrant opening.”
Looking ahead, the minister told Tribune Business: “The difficult part of this is we have to live with this virus, and everybody in almost every circle is stand-offish. I wouldn’t say afraid, but cautious about how to engage a fellow human being.
“The same is true for travel and staying in a hotel. There’s going to have to be protocols, and we’ve not done this before. We have to make people feel comfortable to travel here, and those that live here comfortable to receive them. Figuring out what makes everyone comfortable is going to take some time. We’re going to look at countries taking the lead on this to see how best to roll it out.”
Mr D’Aguilar continued: “It’s a bit more complex, and it is going to take a lot more thought on how we’re going to convince those coming here that The Bahamas is safe, and those that live here that those coming are safe.
“Tourism is a contact sport. You offer to carry their luggage, bring them a towel or get their food. A lot of the experience is interaction between guest and employee. We’re going to have to partner with the BHTA in terms of what are the protocols we’re going to deploy to provide a standard that is satisfactory to everyone.”
Comments
Clamshell 4 years, 7 months ago
Three realities:
The Bahamas likely will lose NEXT YEAR’S tourist season as well as this year’s. Best plan for that revenue loss.
The Bahamas’ cruise ship industry may never recover, and if it does it will take many, many years. Best plan for that revenue loss.
The Bahamas will no longer be able to get away with charging tourists the highest taxes, fees and prices in that part of the world. Best plan for that revenue loss.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 7 months ago
...ditto all 3 my friend....
Honestman 4 years, 7 months ago
It is hard to imagine either Baha Mar or Atlantis opening up this year. It would be wise for government to construct a new financial Budget that assumes there will be little to no tourist dollars flowing into the country for the rest of 2020. That is a scary proposition but it is a realistic one. The Minister hinted in a recent interview that short term cruising to The Bahamas might a way for tourists to stick their toe in the water once the pandemic is substantially under control. Air passengers might be slower to return and government needs to look at all the forms of tourist tax and see what incentives can be created. The Minister is correct when he states that we are going to have to put measures in place to make sure that as far as possible tourists are not exposed to Covid-19 during any future vacation to The Bahamas. Equally government will need to ensure that all tourists arriving are virus free. 2021 may not be quite as bleak as Clamshell suggests if government can come up with a strategy.
Clamshell 4 years, 7 months ago
I hope you are right.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 7 months ago
Clamshell is right given the lag times we saw after 9-11 Twin Towers attack and 2008/2009 housing/banking financial crisis. But there are even greater unprecedented uncertainties associated with this Red China Virus crisis.
Clamshell 4 years, 7 months ago
I simply do not believe he is fielding calls from airlines claiming to have planeloads of tourists looking for hotel rooms. Sorry. I read a story in the NYTimes this morning, a guy flew from Tampa to LaGuardia in New York City, he was the sole passenger on the plane. Just him and the flight crew. So ... do the math.
mandela 4 years, 7 months ago
The Bahamas must find a way to be ready to open up and get persons back to work, the money that's circulating in the community since the lockdown is just old money circulating amongst us. We need new money coming in, in order for us to move forward, onward, upward together to getting persons working. Three or four months of this and we will be on the verge of eating grass and i don't mean the well-loved cannabis
TalRussell 4 years, 7 months ago
I ask, just cause, if colony's Laundromats fall within scope colony's handful essential businesses allowed be open under government's mandatory shutdown restrictions. What about Cheque Cashin, Cash for Gold, Pawn Shops.Tow Tucks, Numbers Shops and Cooper Buying Outlets. Nod once for yeah, twice for no?
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 7 months ago
"we’ve not done this before"
Stop saying we've never done this before, please. Nobody voted in hopes of having the same things done. they put you there to revolutionize this economy. That takes innovation that takes the ability to deal with the fallout of innovation, i. e., issues youve never encountered before.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 7 months ago
I believe the world will be itching to get away after this. There will be opportunities for the countries who can show they've thought of everything to make a stay safe, pleasant and enjoyable. Now is the time to be preparing out of the world nonstandard experiences. and as the minister points out the health protocols. Don't just write them on a piece of paper. Test them after they're written to see if they make sense.
Now is also the time to get some more baskets to spread the eggs. The key criteria you should be looking for is Bahamian participation. Having a foreign company partner with a single Bahamian token to market a foreign product is fine if it produces jobs. But the govt should be looking strategically for Bahamians creating Bahamian products above all else. If those products are recession proof and can be marketed outside the Bahamas, even better.
joeblow 4 years, 7 months ago
The simple reality is that at this point most people in Nassau in particular, have probably already been exposed to this virus. 80% of people who have it will have no symptoms. Once people have had it, there are less people who can catch it!
There is no evidence thus far that those who had it can get it twice so, we can get ahead of the game if the government institutes antibody testing for locals. Those who have already had the virus can go back to work! You can then open to tourists with the prerequisite that they have antibody testing to confirm that they already had the infection as well. This can be done at home or at the airport in a special booth as they arrive. This would allow for a phase based approach to opening up for tourists again! This also give the government the opportunity to negotiate a harder stance with increased benefits from the cruise ship industry, because they need ports to go to. Why am I wasting my time, those idiots in government will do the exact opposite and we will be no better off at the end of this thing!
Clamshell 4 years, 7 months ago
Joe, it already takes a tourist about 1.5 hours to clear Immigration, baggage claim and Customs. Now we’ll add an antibody medical testing checkpoint at Arrivals? And what do we do with those who don’t pass?
Sorry, my friend, but that’s a recipe for disaster.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 7 months ago
Yes we have to do the screening. What's the solution? Make the wait an enjoyable experience. Make sure the bathrooms are beautiful and immaculate.. offer relaxation activities. Have a call up system do people don't have to stand. Have massages, manicures, hair and beard trimming. Offer a complementary buffet. Do I have to think of everything @Clam? lol... and yes I know Im talking money. This is what its going to take to revive the industry.
Clamshell 4 years, 7 months ago
What do you do if a tourist fails the screening and their return flight reservation is a week or two later?
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 7 months ago
if they fail they can go to quarantine hotel which is equally enjoyable. You also assume that most of them will come from the US where they woukd have been screened to get on the plane. In the new world everyone will know when they travel this is a risk.
Clamshell 4 years, 7 months ago
Oh boy! Holiday in a quarantine hotel! I think we ‘d better keep working on this one, my friend ... 😎
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 7 months ago
seriously imagine if you found yourself quarantined but your room was designed in such a way to make it entertaining. You can't directly interact but you can have virtual dining. virtual movie theatre etc etc. ...It could work The key here is it's a new world. When you travel your contacts already have a plan for if you get quarantined becayse it's a known risk. Because it's a known risk. You take extra care to ensure you get tested before travel. The airlines will have to have quarantine waivers so you can rebook your return flight
Clamshell 4 years, 7 months ago
Virtual dining! 🤣🤣🤣... No beach. They come here for the beach.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 7 months ago
Will a deluxe suite at the Hotel Corona come with a ventilator? Just wondering.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 7 months ago
Yeah but theyre in quarantine. It's not gonna be like a real vacation. It's luxury prison. My point is the new travelling mind will consider quarantine as part of the risk of travelling. Also remember that at that time these people will be literally positive cases as tested should be improved.
joeblow 4 years, 7 months ago
@Clamshell… the option is to test BEFORE coming here (as noted above) and bring an official document, if not then test when they have arrived and make a decision from there (not being able to leave the property is an option)!
SP 4 years, 7 months ago
Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, is seeking answers to the right questions and is 100% correct that global mega tourism destinations will soon set standards and protocols for resorts to receive and entertain tourists.
The ministry of tourism now faces the daunting task of a 180-degree rethinking and reprioritizing of the tourism industry, realizing that smaller properties i.e. Airbnb type properties will be the preferred lodging in the immediate, short and medium terms until tourist feel comfortable staying at 1000 room properties.
However, there also exist the equally important and complex questions of how to market, encourage, safely facilitate, and maximize, resort excursion spending which should be the ultimate goal of tourism!
Answers to these questions are not difficult to find but do require years of multiple levels of experience to arrive at reasonable working conclusions.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 7 months ago
You're clearly not a civil libertarian and totally blind to the really worrisome issues involved here.
juju 4 years, 7 months ago
Again, focus on the Family Islands to open up first...people don’t want to be in crowds..what a sshame that Abaco is totally open.
joeblow 4 years, 7 months ago
… sorry, but the family islands have no immunity from the virus and would be devastated by cases since they have no hospital, medical staff or ventilators if needed. The ones with no cases can be opened to the local economy, but no visitors can be allowed, not even from Nassau. This is a major problem!
Castaway 4 years, 7 months ago
The Coronavirus is not the only thing that we need to be concerned about for our tourist industry. The world is reeling from an economic fallout and is in a recession. People have lost jobs (22 million Americans ), are in debt and have no money. Survival is their number one priory. Vacations to the islands or anywhere else will not be in people’s budget in the near future. The world’s economy may take years to recover from this pandemic.
paulhummerman 4 years, 7 months ago
There are quite a few visitors who are Covid-free, have been here for months, and are spending money freely, but who will soon have to leave because their 8 months is up. Maybe they could be allowed to stay (and spend!) until things normalize more.
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