The flaws in travel regulations

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I am writing both as the operator of a travel agency in Ottawa, Canada, and the owner for a long time of a holiday home in The Bahamas. I regularly follow your news, especially now in the tourism sector.

Every day your Government agencies are heralding your new tourism entry requirements. Rosy predictions about tourism growth and a projected financial rebound appear in your news. What is definitely lacking is any understanding of the difficulties prospective visitors are facing trying to comply with them. Your Tourism Minister and staff seem to have concluded that the Health Visa is required. This is the greatest difficulty now in trying to sell travel to The Bahamas. It is not feasible for the great majority of Canadian people to arrange for COVID-19 tests, await two days for results, scan them to Nassau, await a reply and then be at the Nassau airport within five days. All health care in this country is operated by government agencies. People cannot go to a private clinic and get instant results. All of this has to be coordinated with available flights which, due to your difficult requirements, have been drastically reduced to once weekly on Air Canada. So test appointments would have to fit in with that flight. Health authorities consider COVID-19 tests for leisure travel a very low priority so it is not easy to arrange them let alone for a specific day to fit into your five-day requirement.

Just this morning a family of four who travel to Nassau for two weeks every Christmas season came to see me. They rightly believe that they cannot book this year because of all the uncertainties. My travel agents cannot also understand why compulsory health insurance is being forced on visitors. Everyone booking at our office either purchases such insurance with the tickets or arranges an annual plan with us or privately. No one travels without such insurance. This is just another deterrent to booking.

This family are now considering booking their annual holiday to one of four other Caribbean locations which are far less restrictive. I fear that as long as your Health Visa and the five-day test limit remains your tourist numbers will never recover. People do not want hassles when booking holidays. They will go where they are welcome and where it is easy to book. If they are unwell they will not travel anyway.

As for people like myself and other winter residents we really believe we will not be able to travel to our own properties this year due to the rules. Once visitors begin travelling to other locations they may never return to The Bahamas. What research was ever done before these rules were introduced? It is a major blunder by your Government.

For the first time since I opened this agency we have no bookings for The Bahamas. It has always been one of the major places for us to book clients. We hope change comes very soon. I fear the longtime consequences for The Bahamas if the Government stubbornly adheres to the current unworkable rules.

DAVID J HENDERSON

Canada,

November 5, 2020.

Comments

ColumbusPillow says...

Speaking for other Canadians who are friends of the Bahamas, WELL SAID

Posted 6 November 2020, 5:29 p.m. Suggest removal

newcitizen says...

Everything he said about tests in Canada is false. Getting tested there is easy and free and results are back within 48hrs.

That being said, our government is absolutely clueless about how to deal with the current situation. They have no data, no idea, and no sense. They are flying blind and we are the ones who will suffer as they do their very best to crash this plane.

Posted 6 November 2020, 10:22 p.m. Suggest removal

tribanon says...

@newcitizen: Your first sentence is fake news, period! The rest of your post is as factual as it gets.

Dionisio D'Aguilar and Joy Jibrilu don't have an iota of common sense between them. They have literally destroyed our country's tourism industry with dumber than dumb PM Minnis just standing by and watching them do it without making a peep.

Posted 9 November 2020, 11:21 a.m. Suggest removal

canuck says...

That is not correct. It is very difficult to find a testing centre which will test for travel and assure you the results will be back in 48 hours. The results may come back in 48 hours but they may also take three or four days. There is no assurance. As a Canadian who frequents the Bahamas the barrier is an huge impediment to traveling there. However, protecting the Bahamian people is more important that the ease of travel from Canada or anywhere else.

Posted 11 November 2020, 1:24 p.m. Suggest removal

ColumbusPillow says...

Situation in Toronto(and elsewhere in Canada} is similar to what Mr Henderson advises. "Newciizen" please submit the evidence you have for your 48 hour statement.

Posted 7 November 2020, 7:53 a.m. Suggest removal

happyfly says...

the author of this article clearly states "await TWO DAYS for results" so what you crying fake news about ?

as an add on to the story - I have some clients that wanted to book $10k worth of hotel rooms over thanksgiving and the hotel policy was 'zero cancellation refund'. Can you imagine what a turn-off it is to try and coordinate tests and flights at the risk of losing all of your money...........in the meantime there is more chance of catching covid in the Bahamas than bringing it here ?!

Posted 7 November 2020, 11:28 a.m. Suggest removal

tribanon says...

If Biden becomes the next US president it's all over anyway for the tourism sector of our economy. Cuba would quickly become the main Caribbean playground of choice for all North American tourists.

Posted 9 November 2020, 11:33 a.m. Suggest removal

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