The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The second cruise line to begin home porting in The Bahamas will bring 16,500 total passengers to this nation over the four months to end-November 2021, a Cabinet minister has disclosed.

Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, speaking at the launch of Crystal Cruises’ home porting in Nassau, said: “Crystal Cruises’ Luxury Bahamas escapes are expected to bring a minimum... of over 16,500 cruise passengers to the islands of The Bahamas over the four-month period of July 2 to November 9, 2021, and are projected to infuse millions upon millions of dollars in head tax and spend alone.”

He added that Crystal Cruises’ seven-night voyages throughout The Bahamas “will directly impact local businesses, shops, restaurants and excursions of tour operators in Nassau, Great Exuma San Salvador, Long Island and Grand Bahama”.

“On day visits to these islands, cruise guests will make authentic encounters with the people, heritage, culture and natural beauty of the off-the-beaten Bahamas. Expansion of tourism beyond the hub of Nassau/Paradise Island to the outer islands figures high among the national priorities of the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism,” Mr D’Aguilar said.

Cat Island had previously been considered as a port of call to replace Harbour Island and/or Spanish Wells, but was ultimately dropped because it was unable to facilitate Crystal’s several hundred passengers.

Mr D’Aguilar, meanwhile, said Nassau Cruise Port will host 13,000 cruise passengers - including those of home porting cruise passengers from Royal Caribbean and Crystal, as well as those on vessels sailing from Florida - between this weekend gone and Independence Day on July 10.

He made a “clarion call” to all vendors and excursion operators to be ready for this because “the Ministry of Tourism is bringing tourism back”, voicing hope that 100 percent of these passengers will come off of the cruise ships and support local businesses. Some 900 guests are on the inaugural home porting voyage by Crystal Cruises’ Serenity alone.

Straw Vendors and water sports operators have not been allowed to operate since the imposition of COVID-19 restrictions last year, which Mr D’Aguilar addressed by saying: “This obviously falls within the remit of the Straw Market Authority, and the authority recently met with Cabinet and obviously worked out the details on how to open the Straw Market safely.

“Now, let’s assume a best case scenario. Everybody’s vaccinated, then everybody can go back to work. But I don’t think that will be the case, and so you’re going to have to open it up socially distanced. You know, it’s fairly tightly packed inside there.”

Mr D’Aguilar did not give a definite time for when the Straw Market will be open or jet ski operators allowed to operate again, aside from suggesting that it is “imminent”. He added that every month, as The Bahamas makes progress with vaccinations and there are less COVID-19 infections, we may see a further “loosening” of restrictions.

Festival Place vendors have been allowed to operate again adjacent to the Cabinet Office building as their former facility at Prince George Wharf is in the process of being replaced.