D’Aguilar: Govt close to deciding Grand Lucayan resort should reopen

The government is still deciding when it should reopen the Grand Lucayan resort, Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday, explaining that he thinks the government is “very close to deciding that it should reopen”.

D’Aguilar said, however, that the tourism conditions are not ideal, especially since US President Joe Biden’s recent suggestion that anyone coming into the United States could be forced to quarantine.

D’Aguilar said that pronouncement, which will now not be enforced, caused major cancellations at hotels.

“Even though that got walked back, that had a significant impact on travel,” said D’Aguilar.

“And of course you have Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement banning all flights to the Caribbean for Canadian travelers, so that has had a significant impact on the number of visitors that are coming here.

“Tourism is seemingly getting a lot of body blows.”

D’Aguilar said uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic continues to loom and is forcing countries to adjust their policies on incoming visitors and outbound flights on the fly. He said this continues to create a troubling scenario for the tourism industry in The Bahamas.

“Countries are trying to protect their borders and they’re trying to implement restrictions in the movement of their people,” said D’Aguilar.

“That is not good for tourism and that does not help us at all. It makes it very, very difficult to operate in these conditions.

“And so the only light at the end of this dark tunnel is the vaccine, getting it into the arms of as many of our travelers as possible and of course getting it in the arms of as many Bahamians as possible, so that travel can resume and confidence can resume in people who travel.”

He said he is encouraged to see that the vaccine is being quickly rolled out in the United States.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/daguilar-govt-close-to-deciding-grand-lucayan-resort-should-reopen/