The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL 

Tribune Business Editor 

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN resorts have not yet suffered “material cancellations” as a result of Hurricane Milton, a senior hotelier said yesterday, as he asserted: “This is not our first rodeo.”

Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) president, told Tribune Business that the threat posed to the industry’s major Florida source market by the Category Five storm had coincided with the traditionally slower period in the industry’s cycle to help minimise any negative impact.

He spoke as Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) Lynden Pindling International Airport’s (LPIA) operator, confirmed that seven flights scheduled to arrive yesterday from Florida were cancelled, including four from Orlando International Airport and three from Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

It added that further cancellations are expected today as the airports in Tampa and Orlando close ahead of the potentially

devastating hurricane’s arrival on Florida’s west coast, while delays are also expected for flights to and from Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

Mr Sands, meanwhile, told this newspaper that apart from “the welfare and safety” of Florida residents directly in Milton’s path his greatest concern is it may disrupt the supply of goods and services that an import-dependent Bahamas relies on so heavily as well as dent post-hurricane travel demand from the state.

“The hotels have not had any material impact in terms of cancellations,” the BHTA president said. “We continue to monitor it and we’re working with all the different parties. We have to wait and see. The bigger concern is the safety of those in the hurricane’s path. Their welfare and safety comes first, and we pray there’s no disruption to the supply chain for goods and services coming out of Florida to The Bahamas.

“That would be anybody’s concern. We need those elements to continue to work, but at this moment in time we are told suppliers are putting in place contingency plans to address anything that may arise as a result of this hurricane coming through central Florida.”

Airlift into and out of The Bahamas will likely face further disruption for the remainder of this week, making it difficult for visitors to both enter and exit

this nation. Mr Sands, though, voiced optimism that airlines, resorts and other tourism operators will make adjustments as necessary, while tourists will either delay or rebook their travel plans.

“This is an event that is taking place very quickly, it’s moving very quickly,” he added. “It’s not at a time when it’s our highest demand. This is something we are used to. It’s not a new phenomenon for us. Companies will make adjustments, and persons will either delay or rebook their arrangements.

“The important issue is there’s not any major damage to to our source market and any damage to commerce that may impact us. It’s wait and see. It’s not our first time in this rodeo. We’ve done this many times over. Our focus is on Florida, and we hope there’s minimal damage and disruption and the relationship with inbound and outbound tourism continues to flow soon after the passage of this storm.”

Silver Airways, which serves The Bahamas from numerous Florida gateways, has already announced it will “waive” change fees and fare differences for customers due to travel between Tuesday, October 8, 2024, and Thursday, October 10, who will now have to rebook due to Hurricane Milton

Leonard Sands, the Bahamian Contractors Association’s (BCA) president, told Tribune Business that this nation was in no immediate danger of suffering from construction materials shortages as suppliers had reassured him they have “got everything they need” on island for at least the next two weeks.

However, he conceded this outlook may have to be reassessed depending on the level of devastation that Milton inflicts in Florida. The BCA chief said extensive damage would mean building materials normally available for shipping to The Bahamas would instead be diverted to Florida’s recovery, thereby leading to potential shortages and price hikes here.

“For right now, there is no immediate impact,” Leonard Sands said of Milton. “We have to wait and see. Right now we have not seen any immediate impact on the level of supply of goods and services and materials. That’s because the supply chain was pretty solid this year with no disruption.”

He explained that the damage inflicted by Hurricane Helene, which struck northern Florida as well as Georgia, parts of the Carolinas and the Appalachian mountain range, will not impact the availability of building materials for The Bahamas because the rebuilding there will be served by resources obtained from more northerly states such as Kentucky.

Milton, though, last night was continuing to take aim at central Florida. “It will have some impact, but how much impact is too hard to tell, too early to tell,” Leonard Sands said. “If it causes widespread damage across Florida, which we hope doesn’t happen, we will most likely see disruption in supplies to The Bahamas and we’ll be challenged where we get those materials from.

“Central Florida is where a lot of building supplies come from. But we did a bit of checking, and all around everyone [construction material suppliers] is pretty good on stock. It will take a couple of weeks for everyone to run out, and then our challenge may become that we run out and we have difficulties getting it replaced.

“That’s not a problem right now. We’ll have to reassess after this storm and see what the damage is, and that may determine a different outcome. Right now, suppliers feel comfortable they’ve got everything they need. Everyone has good stock right now. It’s too early to tell too early to tell.”