• 13,000 cruise visitors pre-Independence week

• Atlantis, Baha Mar at 75-90% occupancy levels

• ‘No bubble experience’ for cruise passengers

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Tourism was yesterday said to be “bouncing back with a vengeance” with 13,000 cruise visitors expected in the week before Independence and Nassau’s mega resorts reporting occupancies of up to 90 percent.

Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told Tribune Business that “we’re bringing tourism back” as the relaxation of international travel restrictions and the continued roll-out of COVID-19 vaccinations - especially in key visitor source markets - gave persons increasing confidence to again vacation abroad.

Describing The Bahamas as “a destination of choice” for Americans who have been emboldened to travel, Mr D’Aguilar revealed he had been informed by senior executives at the Atlantis and Baha Mar resorts that they had enjoyed weekend occupancy rates of 90 percent and 75 percent, respectively.

While in Atlantis’ case that may have applied only to the portions of the property that are currently open, he added that this represented a further sign that The Bahamas’ largest industry - and its key employment and foreign currency earnings driver - is now “bouncing back” rapidly following last year’s lockdowns and health restrictions.

And he was backed by Michael Maura, Nassau Cruise Port’s chief executive, who told this newspaper that 14 cruise ships carrying a combined 13,000 passengers are expected to call in the Bahamian capital between July 2 and July 10 - a period that covers both US and Bahamian independence days and their respective celebrations.

Disclosing that some vessels will be making multiple calls during that period, Mr Maura said that besides the two home porting vessels - the Crystal Serenity and Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas - others arriving in Nassau include other Royal Caribbean ships resuming sailing from south Florida as well as two Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) vessels.

Revealing that Virgin Cruise Lines has committed to starting calls on Nassau towards the end of the 2021 third quarter, while Disney and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) are due to return in August and September respectively, the Nassau Cruise Port chief also revealed that cruise passengers disembarking next week will not be restricted to a “bubble experience” while in Nassau.

It had been anticipated that, on the cruise industry’s return, passengers would be restricted to rigidly-controlled tours and activities where every aspect of the guest experience would be managed as a means to prevent COVID-19 infections and spread.

However, Mr Maura said passengers will now be free to roam and explore at will. And he disclosed that Nassau Cruise Port had agreed with tour operators that, once their excursions were completed, passengers will be dropped off in Rawson Square - rather than taken directly back to the boat - so that they can sample Bay Street and benefit local merchants and vendors.

“We see things really ramping up this Friday, July 2,” Mr Maura told this newspaper. “Between July 2 and July 10, which includes US independence day on July 4 and Bahamian independence, we will have 14 cruise ships come in with well over 13,000 cruise passengers.”

Besides the two home porting vessels, he added that other ships scheduled to call in Nassau during this period include the Celebrity Edge, Freedom of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, MSC Armonia and MSC Divina.

“It’s huge,” said Mr Maura. “A number of these ships like the Celebrity Edge and Freedom of the Seas will be making multiple calls and sailings. The other thing that we’ve done is we’ve had a series of meetings with local tour operators in Nassau in terms of the guests that will be taking tours.

“While they will purchase the tour transfer from the cruise lines, those tour buses will be dropping them off in Rawson Square, so that after they’ve done the tour for the day they will be coming back to Bay Street. Those passengers will be dropped in the economic hub of Bay Street, so that when they come back they will shop and be on the door step of Bay Street merchants and vendors.

“The Bahamas does not require a bubble experience. We’ll have guests purchasing directly from the cruise lines, and they will be stopping in Bay Street and Rawson Square to let them off, but we’ll also have independent guests who are free to disembark, shop, wander Bay Street and do whatever they want to do.”

Urging downtown Nassau and all sectors that rely on the cruise industry for their livelihoods to “get ready” for its imminent return from south Florida, Mr Maura described forward berth bookings at the Nassau Cruise Port as “solid”.

He added: “We’re well on our way now. We’re seeing a return. They’re all coming back. We have Virgin committed to calls at the end of the third quarter going into the fourth quarter, Disney coming back in August and Norwegian Cruise Line coming back in September.

“Everything is coming back with a vengeance. The Bahamas, given our geography, we are the partner of choice, especially given our proximity to south Florida.”

As for The Bahamas’ stopover business, Mr D’Aguilar said: “Tourism is doing very well. Baha Mar was running at 75 percent occupancy this weekend, and Atlantis was running occupancies in excess of 90 percent.

“Tourism is bouncing back, and more and more people are being called back to work, and more and more people are earning tips and gratuities.” While everything is relative, and The Bahamas has some way to go to match 2019’s record tourism numbers, the strength and speed of the industry’s recovery will determine how rapidly the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic’s ravages.

The Bahamas’ mass market tourism, and especially its mega resorts, have been the slowest segment to recover from COVID-19, as Mr D’Aguilar acknowledged. “Our larger hotel properties are, of course, the slower component of the tourism sector to bounce back,” he said.

“It’s good to see Americans feel comfortable enough to travel. I’m advised that at one hotel the levels of vaccination are in excess of 70 percent of visitors coming into the hotel. All of the food and beverage facilities are getting very buzzy, the nightlife is getting buzzy. I think we’re handling this very well.”

Anticipating that tourist purchases of Bahamian travel visas in June will exceed the 110,000 recorded for last month, Mr D’Aguilar said: “With these kinds of reports coming out of our larger facilities, I’m very optimistic and upbeat, and as they look forward they’re seeing more and more growth.

“People are telling me they’ve never seen a summer so busy, but it may be because last summer was awful. We’ll see what the final statistics look like, but Americans are becoming emboldened to travel and are picking The Bahamas as a destination of choice.”