The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Atlantis has pushed its reopening back a further three weeks to July 30 to allow "a bit more calm to come into a unsettled market", a Cabinet minister said yesterday.

Dionisio D'Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told Tribune Business that the Paradise Island mega resort's decision to move back from July 7 could even work to its advantage and that of the wider Bahamian tourism industry by buying more time to ready COVID-19 health protocols.

Acknowledging that Atlantis's move will "slow down the inflow of visitors" that will be triggered from today with the resumption of commercial air travel and relaxation of border restrictions, he added that The Bahamas will potentially be better positioned to combat the surge in infections in its major source market, the US.

Disclosing that Atlantis is reporting "robust" bookings for August, Mr D'Aguilar also revealed that there had been "push back" from the hotel and wider tourism industry over The Bahamas' requirement that children under 10 years-old also require a negative COVID-19 PCR test before they will be admitted to this country.

Families make up a significant component of guest bookings for Atlantis and other properties, and Mr D'Aguilar said the Government had ultimately elected to compromise on this point by requiring negative COVID-19 tests from just the parents accompanying minors.

This represents another change to The Bahamas' health protocols, and the minister conceded that the "constantly changing goal posts" were becoming a source of frustration for The Bahamas' largest industry ahead of its planned re-opening.

Atlantis did not release a formal statement on its July 30 push-back before press time last night, with yesterday's move - confirmed by the Prime Minister in the House of Assembly - creating a double whammy for the resort industry and wider economy given that it coincided with terminations at rival mega resort, Baha Mar.

Tribune Business was informed that workers initially recalled for Atlantis's first phase re-opening were advised not to report to work yesterday, as concerns mounted over the threat posed to the health of staff, guests and the wider community as a result of the recent surge in US COVID-19 infections.

A message purported to have been sent by Errol Cohen, Atlantis' head of retail, and which was circulated widely on social media, said: "Due to the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases in the US, and in the interests of the health and safety of our guests, team members and the Bahamian community, we will delay the opening by 30 days."

The Paradise Island mega resort's formal position was communicated to its staff late last night by Audrey Oswell, its president and managing director. The letter, which has been seen by Tribune Business, confirmed that the July 30 date was selected in response to rising infection rates in The Bahamas' key US source markets.

Explaining that the decision had been taken "out of an abundance of caution", Ms Oswell wrote: "Earlier this month, we announced Atlantis' phased re-opening beginning July 7. We made this decision knowing we are well-prepared, our team members are extremely professional, and we would be able to ensure the health, safety and well-being of every guest and team member that walks through our doors....

"Since we made that decision, the COVID-19 virus shifted from a steady decline to a recent surge in many of our key markets.... It is our responsibility as stakeholders in the community, and to our guests, team members and partners alike, to continue our vigilance.

"For these reasons, and out of an abundance of caution, Atlantis Paradise Island has adjusted its re-opening until July 30. None of the decisions made these last months have been easy ones......"

Atlantis' move means that the impact from tourism's early July will be significantly watered down. It also comes on the same day that Baha Mar, its mega resort rival, terminated hundreds of employees in a move expected to add to the 55,000 workers already claiming benefits and drive the jobless rate close to 40 percent.

Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIAS) earlier this week said it expects to receive six international flights today, marking the restart of commercial aviation and border re-opening, from markets such as Atlanta, North Carolina, Miami and Fort Lauderdale - some of which are COVID-19 hot spots.

It is unclear yet whether Atlantis' revised opening date will spark the airlines and other resorts to adjust their plans, although American Airlines was supposed to restart services to Nassau on the July 7 date that has been abandoned by the resort.

Atlantis was still last night advertising July 7 on its website as the date it will re-open, while fellow Paradise Island resort, Comfort Suites, which uses guest access to its neighbour as one of its main selling points, also showed that date for its relaunch.

Mr D'Aguilar said the revised Atlantis re-opening date was a reflection of "how unsettled the market is" as a result of the surge in COVID-19 infections across multiple states, including key source markets for The Bahamas such as Florida, with cases increasing by 40,000 per day.

With the Government both mandating a negative COVID-19 PCR test for incoming travellers, and narrowing the window in which this may be taken from ten days to seven, the minister revealed: "There was a significant push back on the need for children under the age of ten to get the test, especially families that were travelling.

"We have eased that restriction under the premise that the parents are negative. If the parents are negative, there's a much lower risk that the children will be COVID positive. That was causing a lot of consternation for families."

Mr D'Aguilar added that there was also great unease among The Bahamas' key north-east US source markets about "the routing of most flights to The Bahamas through Florida", as those states have been warning quarantines may be imposed on persons who have travelled there due to its COVID-19 spike.

"For these reasons Atlantis decided to let a bit more calm come into the industry," Mr D'Aguilar told Tribune Business. "They're implementing their phased approach and slowing things down a bit until this fluidity in the market finds its settling point.

"I think it will slow down the inflow of visitors come July 1 [today], and that will give us a little more time to allow a phased roll-out of tourism, to take a more prudent approach, and for us to ensure all of our health protocols are working properly and keep the population safe.

"The good news is that come August they [Atlantis] are reporting robust bookings, so this will give them a little more time to prepare and allow us time to get our protocols right."

Mr D'Aguilar added that there were "indications" that Atlantis may re-open some components of its resort before July 30. He said the marina, which is already open, will remain so, while some restaurants and the Harborside timeshare complex were other candidates to relaunch before that date.