The Tribune

THERE was mixed news on the tourism front yesterday – and it shows how the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy are very much still with us.

The bad news came with the announcement of the closure of the British Colonial Hilton.

As of February 15, the hotel will be closing its doors – and throws a spanner into plans for the redevelopment and revitalisation of the Downtown area.

The work to refresh the seafront area is already under way – but now visitors will be hopping off cruise ships and making their way through the redeveloped area only to come face to face with a hotel that forms a major part of the Downtown landscape, but whose doors will be boarded up.

For the Hilton, one of the major blows will have been the way in which conventions and conferences have dried up during the pandemic. The conference trade formed a big part of the hotel’s income, aiming at a business market more than the kind of family tourism trade served by the likes of Atlantis.

The closure will bring the loss of up to 130 staff – 130 more people in need of jobs to support themselves and their families.

By contrast, the better news came over at Atlantis, where Grammy Award-winning musician Pharrell Williams and his business partner, David Grutman, are to take over the currently closed Beach Towers and rebrand it as a 400-room property called Somewhere Else, due to open in January 2024.

The celebrity link will bring some excitement along with the deal, while the approach of having different brands within the Atlantis complex mirrors the approach of Baha Mar somewhat.

It’s hard to see the loss of a long-established brand with the Hilton, but the news of the Atlantis deal shows there is still hope in the economic landscape.

The economy remains volatile, with some unable to weather the storms. We’re not there yet.

Back to school

The decision for children to return to school on Monday is a tough one.

It is challenging to figure out how to deal with the needs of children. It has already been highlighted how many face challenges with online learning, either through struggling to get on the online platform or simply not having access at all from home.

In this column, we have said we cannot have a lost generation of students – and that is what is at risk if children cannot gain access to education properly.

That said, there have been thousands of new COVID cases since the turn of the year, and many children will not yet be fully vaccinated. For those under 12, they don’t even have the option of vaccination yet.

Safety has to come first – not just for students, but for the teachers and staff members at school as well.

The announcement that doors will open as soon as Monday feels quick – parents could likely have done with a little longer to prepare for their children’s return, and to discuss how safe they feel it is for them to be back in the classroom.

We hope it is the right choice, and that children will be safe. We hope schools are thoroughly prepared and ready to keep social distancing in place.

It is far from an easy choice to have made, and we hope for all concerned that it is safe enough for our children to make that journey back to school.