Home porting will deliver extra 50m

Wed, Jun 16th 2021, 07:00 AM

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D'Aguilar estimates that home porting will bring 30,000 to 35,000 cruise ship guests to the Bahamas this year who will contribute $50m during their week-long stay in the country.

Speaking during his contribution to the budget debate in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mr D’Aguilar also said cruises from South Florida will resume earlier this year than anticipated.
#Royal Caribbean International will operate cruises for three months. The cruises will start in Nassau. On July 4, Crystal Cruises will begin operating its cruises for five months.
#Mr D’Aguilar also touted signs of an improving tourism industry, noting that arrivals to the country have been increasing per month since the November 2020 reopening.
#“I am also delighted to report that tourism is rebounding every day,” he said. “Everyone sees it! The airports are getting busier! The marinas, up and down, the Bahamas have never been busier. The occupancy levels in the hotels are improving and, most importantly, the tens of thousands of Bahamians who were furloughed as a result of this pandemic are slowly being called back to work.”
#Mr D’Aguilar said officials managing the Bahamas’ visas are processing between 6,000 and 8,000 visas per day.
#He said: “In January of this year, 22,000 visitors received a health visa. In February, 30,000 visitors received a health visa. In March, 64,000 visitors received a health visa. In April, 68,000 visitors received a health visa. In May, 110,000 visitors received a health visa.
#“And when you dig into the numbers, 60 percent of the visitors are coming to Nassau and 40 percent are coming to Family Islands. So that confirms to me that the Family Islands are bouncing back faster than Nassau so far. And that makes sense. With the onset of COVID-19 people wanted a low-density secluded vacation at a small boutique hotel or Airbnb, away from crowds and larger properties. And that is exactly what happened.”

Speaking during his contribution to the budget debate in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mr D’Aguilar also said cruises from South Florida will resume earlier this year than anticipated.

Royal Caribbean International will operate cruises for three months. The cruises will start in Nassau. On July 4, Crystal Cruises will begin operating its cruises for five months.

Mr D’Aguilar also touted signs of an improving tourism industry, noting that arrivals to the country have been increasing per month since the November 2020 reopening.

“I am also delighted to report that tourism is rebounding every day,” he said. “Everyone sees it! The airports are getting busier! The marinas, up and down, the Bahamas have never been busier. The occupancy levels in the hotels are improving and, most importantly, the tens of thousands of Bahamians who were furloughed as a result of this pandemic are slowly being called back to work.”

Mr D’Aguilar said officials managing the Bahamas’ visas are processing between 6,000 and 8,000 visas per day.

He said: “In January of this year, 22,000 visitors received a health visa. In February, 30,000 visitors received a health visa. In March, 64,000 visitors received a health visa. In April, 68,000 visitors received a health visa. In May, 110,000 visitors received a health visa.

“And when you dig into the numbers, 60 percent of the visitors are coming to Nassau and 40 percent are coming to Family Islands. So that confirms to me that the Family Islands are bouncing back faster than Nassau so far. And that makes sense. With the onset of COVID-19 people wanted a low-density secluded vacation at a small boutique hotel or Airbnb, away from crowds and larger properties. And that is exactly what happened.”

 

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