Rolle: We will have to wait and see what kind of impact new travel restrictions may have
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Exuma Chamber of Commerce President Pedro Rolle said the island’s tourism sector is on an uptick, with the past two months appearing to be the best for the year.
“Things are going good right now in Exuma. We certainly have a lot of tourists on the island and that is having a positive impact on businesses, namely the car rental businesses, vacation rentals, hotels, etc,” Rolle told Eyewitness News.
“I don’t have any hard numbers but based on what I’m hearing and seeing on the ground, it appears that the last two months may have been the best for the year.
“I note that the government recently made an announcement regarding the certain measures to combat the spread of COVID and we will have to wait and see what kind of impact that will have.”
Central Bank Governor John Rolle noted in his recent monthly economic and financial development report statement that the rebuilding of tourism has been most marked in respect of the second quarter of 2021, although on a year-to-date basis, the half-year outcome is still lower than in 2020.
Rolle noted: “Two other factors also stand out in tourism. The first is that there has been a relatively faster recapture of business in the Family Islands compared to New Providence and Grand Bahama.
“The second is that the vacation rental market has experienced stronger demand recovery than hotels.
“In the meantime, the cruise sector business will only begin to resume in the second half of 2021.”
On Monday, the Office of the Prime Minister announced a rollback in travel restrictions that would now require fully vaccinated individuals and anyone older than two years old to obtain a negative COVID-19 test within five days of entering the country and/or within five days of traveling inter-island from New Providence, Grand Bahama, Bimini, Exuma, Abaco and North and South Eleuthera.
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