The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I am writing both as the operator of a travel agency in Ottawa, Canada, and the owner for a long time of a holiday home in The Bahamas. I regularly follow your news, especially now in the tourism sector.

Every day your Government agencies are heralding your new tourism entry requirements. Rosy predictions about tourism growth and a projected financial rebound appear in your news. What is definitely lacking is any understanding of the difficulties prospective visitors are facing trying to comply with them. Your Tourism Minister and staff seem to have concluded that the Health Visa is required. This is the greatest difficulty now in trying to sell travel to The Bahamas. It is not feasible for the great majority of Canadian people to arrange for COVID-19 tests, await two days for results, scan them to Nassau, await a reply and then be at the Nassau airport within five days. All health care in this country is operated by government agencies. People cannot go to a private clinic and get instant results. All of this has to be coordinated with available flights which, due to your difficult requirements, have been drastically reduced to once weekly on Air Canada. So test appointments would have to fit in with that flight. Health authorities consider COVID-19 tests for leisure travel a very low priority so it is not easy to arrange them let alone for a specific day to fit into your five-day requirement.

Just this morning a family of four who travel to Nassau for two weeks every Christmas season came to see me. They rightly believe that they cannot book this year because of all the uncertainties. My travel agents cannot also understand why compulsory health insurance is being forced on visitors. Everyone booking at our office either purchases such insurance with the tickets or arranges an annual plan with us or privately. No one travels without such insurance. This is just another deterrent to booking.

This family are now considering booking their annual holiday to one of four other Caribbean locations which are far less restrictive. I fear that as long as your Health Visa and the five-day test limit remains your tourist numbers will never recover. People do not want hassles when booking holidays. They will go where they are welcome and where it is easy to book. If they are unwell they will not travel anyway.

As for people like myself and other winter residents we really believe we will not be able to travel to our own properties this year due to the rules. Once visitors begin travelling to other locations they may never return to The Bahamas. What research was ever done before these rules were introduced? It is a major blunder by your Government.

For the first time since I opened this agency we have no bookings for The Bahamas. It has always been one of the major places for us to book clients. We hope change comes very soon. I fear the longtime consequences for The Bahamas if the Government stubbornly adheres to the current unworkable rules.

DAVID J HENDERSON

Canada,

November 5, 2020.