Bahamas tourism officials are hopeful that the resumption of Air Canada flights to the islands in early summer will herald the return of Canadians to further buttress a post-pandemic return to tourism.
“We’re hearing now is that Air Canada is proposing to begin flights again at the beginning of July,” director general of the Bahamas ministry of tourism Joy Jibrilu told Travel Industry Today at last week’s virtual Caribbean Tourism Marketplace (CTM) conference, adding, “We’re seeing if we can bump that up to June.”
Jibrilu has no doubt that Canadians will return en masse when able.
“We know there is real pent-up demand amongst Canadians wanting to get away. They’ve been in restrictive mode for a long time, so we look forward to welcoming them back and working very closely with all our partners in Canada to see the return of Canadians not just to Nassau but to Exuma as well,” she said.
She explained that when the Canadian government asked airlines to stop flying to sun destinations earlier this year to help combat the spread of COVID-19 it was a double whammy for The Bahamas.
“We felt it keenly when Canada closed its borders,” she said. “Canada was particularly important to us as Canada was the route that people from Europe were able to come to the Bahamas. They came London-Toronto and then connected on to The Bahamas. So, we lost not only the Canadian market but the European market.”
Jibrilu said research indicates that there is currently “huge interest” in travel to the Caribbean and, specifically, The Bahamas, citing a 170% increase in Expedia searches in February alone, adding that longer and international trips are the preferred means of travel in the latter half of the year.
At the same time, she said that the islands are well prepared for tourism’s “revival,” having implemented a “streamlined suite” of health and safety protocols designed to protect both residents and visitors, as well as strict enforcement of the Clean & Pristine program, plus achieving the WTTC’s Safe Travels standard.
As such, and in conjunction with increased vaccination levels amongst its own citizens (and, increasingly, Americans), The Bahamas has waived entry and on-island testing requirements for all vaccinated travellers (though applications for a travel health visa must still be made).
The islands will also lead the way in the return to cruising with both Crystal and Royal Caribbean having announced that they will operate in and from the Bahamas starting in June – a boon for a destination that counts nearly 70% of its visitors as cruise passengers. Correspondingly, Jibrilu says the US$250-million development of the Nassau Port Project continues apace towards its expected completion in 2022.
Fred Lounsberry, president of the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, noted that, according to Google analytics, Bahamas air searches were on par in April with the same month in 2019, a record year, while hotel searches were actually up 10%.
“So, we’re definitely on the way to recovery and looking forward to a very strong summer,” he said.
This includes major developments in Nassau/Paradise Island, such as the opening of a much-anticipated Margaritaville resort (July 1), a new waterpark at Baha Mar (July 2), and a complete re-imagination of Sandals Royal Bahamian (scheduled to re-open Nov. 4).
As for the Out Islands, Jibrilu reported that tourism levels, based on current circumstances and trajectory, are forecast to reach 60% of 2019’s record levels.
The director also noted the “heightened role” that travel advisors will play in the recovery as consumers resume travel and, to that end, the Bahamas has relaunched its agent specialist program.
She said the Bahamas will continue to market itself aggressively, particularly with priority markets such as weddings & honeymoons, MICE, and adventure.
In the latter category, she said, “all those in pursuit of the great outdoors will find The Bahamas a magnet in this era of social distancing.”
“I reiterate,” she said, “The Bahamas is open for business.”