EDITOR, The Tribune.

Confusion and uncertainties are the hallmarks of the current entry rules to travel to The Bahamas. They increase daily with the ongoing comments of your Tourism Minister and staff.

I have operated travel agencies in Columbus and southern Ohio for decades and formerly The Bahamas was our prime destination in the Caribbean area. It was easy to book, a wide range of flights and the requirements very simple to enter your beautiful country.

However, we now face a catastrophe for bookings because your policies to enter cause too many uncertainties and cause so many roadblocks that even our former ardent clients for Nassau and the out islands are no longer interested.

I follow the news through The Tribune and every day there are new impediments. People do not have the time or will to go through all the hassles required. We are booking clients elsewhere as a result. I fear many previously loyal Bahamas bound visitors will never return.

The introduction of your Health Visa has been a bureaucratic nightmare. It is far too complicated and the uncertainty as to when permission will be given has turned people away.

Who wants to book air tickets and accommodation and not be sure of arriving? We have had no proper explanation why such a visa is required.

Allowing visitors simply to bring a COVID-19 negative test with them would have been far easier and would have given us more bookings for The Bahamas.

The five-day rule from test to entry has also been a disaster because even those who want to come cannot complete the test and get results and permission in time to arrive in that time span.

This has been worsened because of so few flights.

Many people and travel agents have complained but to no avail. Our concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

We now are told that visitors can enter with a few less restrictive measures if they have both vaccines plus a fifteen day waiting time.

It will be a very long time before most Americans receive both vaccine doses.

Most have not even received the first dose after which there is a several month delay until the second is given.

The same situation applies to other countries. Even then the unworkable Health Visa remains.

We are now told that tourism officials will decide that even visitors who have both vaccines will be forced after six months to get booster shots to return for future visits. What if such shots are not offered?

Are those making such decisions even qualified to pass judgement as to who will be allowed to visit The Bahamas again? The whole situation is ridiculous and seriously hampers any real revival of your main industry.

After the pandemic eases, the regular entry rules should be completely restored.

Right now, The Bahamas has fallen to the lowest interest amongst our clients.

From the highest to the lowest even though your Tourism Ministry keeps saying they work with “travel partners”.

I cannot understand how your business community has allowed this difficult situation to continue. Your financial situation is getting more difficult every month and yet these poorly conceived rules continue to the detriment of what was a major tourist destination.

Immediate change is urgently required if you are ever to recover from the disastrous policies of the past year.

HOWARD J THORPE

254 E. Sycamore Street

Columbus, Ohio, 43206,

USA

May 6, 2021.