NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) continues to emphasize the importance of ensuring The Bahamas is able to maintain a safe, healthy environment for both visitors and locals; one that allows people to enjoy their environment while adhering to reasonable, effective preventative measures.
Since the onset of the pandemic, the BHTA has been an active participant in efforts and initiatives designed to facilitate a sure and steady recovery process for our tourism industry.
It has worked alongside a cadre of private and public sector stakeholders, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Health and a vast diverse group of tourism business owners and operators on initiatives such as the Tourism Readiness and Recovery Plan and the Clean and Pristine Health and Safety Certification Process, to name a few.
The BHTA continues to liaise with respective government officials to provide feedback and insight on matters that are of vital importance to the tourism industry, such as cross-border protocols, internal policies related to preventative measures and other potential initiatives designed to facilitate a sustained and successful recovery of our tourism industry.
The BHTA recognizes the importance of continuing to maintain and enhance its health and safety infrastructure throughout the archipelago, and to illuminate approved access points for requisite testing in source markets offshore.
It is essential for visitors to have an “eco-system” of all options that facilitate travel safely to the destination, to experience the best The Bahamas has to offer freely and safely and to be able to return home easily. The same infrastructure will support locals who need to travel for business, and or pleasure, enabling them to do so in the safest manner possible.
While the appetite for travel is escalating, the transition from a prospective traveler’s “quest” to “confirmation” is often best facilitated when a number of key components are made readily available. The potential visitor must be able to meet the requirements for Safe Travel to their desired destination easily, and in an affordable manner.
Also key is the traveler’s ability to access and thereby adhere to clear-cut, coherent health and safety requirements to facilitate ease of movement within and throughout their destination of choice. A myriad of easily accessible facilities that provide guests and locals with affordable testing, as required, in an efficient manner; quick reporting of results; and a comprehensive vaccination strategy for the local population all bode well for tourism’s recovery.
Robert “Sandy” Sands, BHTA president, said: “We applaud the efforts of onshore and offshore companies who are positioning themselves to be a vital part of the formula for ‘Safe Travel’ to and throughout our beautiful Bahamas.
“We welcome the prolific expansion of professionals, healthcare providers, test administrators, laboratories [and] technology companies who are focusing their business model on providing ‘Safe Travel’ options.
“Not only will these innovative entrepreneurs contribute to our ability to re-establish ourselves as a premier tourist destination, they are improving and protecting the overarching health and well-being of our nation, our population [and] our economy.”
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