NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The reopening of the country’s two largest hotel properties, Atlantis and Baha Mar, continues to have a ripple effect across the country, driving an uptick in port volumes that have been down almost 30 percent due to the pandemic.
Dion Bethell, president and chief executive of the BISX-listed Arawak Port Development (APD) Company, said: “I would say that in the last month we have seen an uptick in port volumes, though still not the pre-COVID volumes. We have seen some project cargo coming in for Global Port Holdings as they get that project underway. We have seen some volumes associated with that. As we are in the height of the season, all of the vessels over the remaining weeks I’m sure are trying to bring in as much as they could. From March to November, our volumes are still down almost 30 percent.”
Bethell added: “We have seen an uptick, some additional perishables, as the hotels prepare to reopen. The volumes for Bahamas Food Services and other wholesalers are starting to climb. That is part of where we see the uptick in volumes.”
Atlantis will reopen and start accepting guests today, while Baha Mar is set to reopen on December 17. While a full complement of staff is not expected to return to work initially, thousands of hotel workers who have been furloughed since March will return to their jobs before Christmas.
Loading ...
