The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

kemp@tribunemedia.net

Family Island resort operators yesterday urged the Government to push ahead with its planned $150m Family Island airport upgrades given the potential to boost visitor arrivals post-COVID-19.

Julian Lockhart, general manager of Eleuthera's La Bougainvillea resort, told Tribune Business: “Any time you have upgrades on the airport, it allows the Government to go in and negotiate for larger aircraft to come into come into the airport.

"With the larger aircraft it would allow us to bring more tourists to come in from further away, so I can get flights in from Atlanta. I can also now go and target US Airways from the north; from around the Charlotte and Washington D.C. area. We can go further north and try to get Jet Blue to come in from New York or from the Boston area, and even as far as Canada now for direct flights into Eleuthera.”

A $65m enhancement to north Eleuthera's airport is among the improvements being eyed, and Mr Lockhart said this presented an opportunity - when completed - to target more direct flights and remove the burden for guests of having to transit through Miami or Nassau.

He added: “A lot of my guests do fly into the North Eleuthera airport because the direct flights are American Airlines as well as Silver Airways into Florida." He did, though, voice concerns about the new US rules that require all American citizens to have COVID-19 tests done within three days of travel to re-enter the US.

“No one is saying anything about how this vaccination is going to affect tourists coming into us and leaving us, because right now we don't even know. Tourism is not telling us anything, government is not telling us anything, so we don’t know how our bookings will be impacted within the next 12 months," Mr Lockhart said.

“I’ve already lost a couple of reservations in February because of the new US rule saying that three days before their flight, persons returning to America must have a COVID-19 test. I've lost four of them. Three of them have pushed their bookings to late in the year.”

Chris Morris, the Cape Eleuthera Resort and Marina's general manager, said “upgrades anywhere in The Bahamas are good, but I think people will come to The Bahamas no matter what state the airport is in. I don’t think it will necessarily drive more tourists on to the island. It would just make for more pleasing amenities".

Veronica Marshall, owner/operator of Marshall’s Guest House in Exuma, where a similar $65m upgrade was planned, said: “I am pleased that they're doing something like that right now because I have witnessed certain things at the airport.

"Right now we have an increase in flights coming from the US and Canada, and all sorts of other places, and by the time those flights come in the people don’t have anywhere to stand or sit, so I don’t think what we have now is adequate.”

Tyrone Anderson, general manager of Valentines Resort & Marina on Harbour Island, said: "This will definitely drive more tourists to Eleuthera. Without a doubt. I hope we can get an increase from all areas in the United States and Canada, but Florida is our primary market, so we hope to get a big boost of people coming out of Florida.”