People are applying for the Bahamas Travel Health Visa as they get vaccinated and far in advance of their planned vacation dates, Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday, adding that this phenomenon has added traffic to the application process.

On Saturday, The Bahamas removed the requirement to take an RT/PCR test for people entering the country who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

D’Aguilar, who was speaking to reporters outside of Cabinet, said while it is too early to ascertain whether the move has increased the attractiveness of The Bahamas as a travel destination, the signs are positive.

“The indication is that more and more people are applying for a health visa based on the fact that they’re vaccinated,” said D’Aguilar.

“People, once they’ve gotten vaccinated, want to get ahead of the decision to travel or not to travel to The Bahamas and they’re making applications now for a health visa months in advance. That’s beginning to add traffic to the application process.”

D’Aguilar said the government could look at pre-approving vaccinated travelers so that on subsequent trips the process is less taxing on them and the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation.

D’Aguilar said visitor numbers continue to trend in the right direction, though he lamented that those numbers are still about 40 percent short of what they were in 2019. 

“I think it’s always important to put it in perspective,” he said. “We are nowhere near 2019 numbers and that’s understandable. We’re still in the throes of this pandemic and it’s going to take time as persons get vaccinated and feel safe enough to travel to think about a holiday.

“But, I can tell you that the numbers are ever increasing. Persons are obviously interested in a warm weather destination and they’re choosing The Bahamas in ever increasing numbers, but it’s going to take some time for us to get back to where we used to be. But the good news is it’s heading in the right direction.”

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