That is very good news. Let us hope the Visa will very soon be abolished for international visitors . Our tourism has been very badly affected by this cumbersome unnecessary Visa. There have been so many complaints from well meaning travel agents in the U.S.A.,Canada and the U.K. They all say it has been the greatest deterrent to getting bookings for The Bahamas. Visitors cannot be bothered completing all the bureaucratic requirements when they can go to nearly all other southern destinations without any hassles at all. We need visitors desperately. If they can show double vaccination certificates at the airport they should be given a boarding pass and on their way to our country. A return to easier access to us is required immediately!

Here is yet another letter from a concerned travel agent. Obviously being part time residents he and his family have good feelings towards our country and only want the best for Bahamians. There have been so many letters of complaint about our difficult travel rules over the past year. Unfortunately our Tourism Minister has stubbornly refused to change his attitude. We are fortunate to have had any visitors the past while with our Covid19 infection numbers and the Health Visa complicating the situation. How can we expect a return to past numbers when we make it so difficult for people to enter our country? Even the travel agents are now understanding that the Health Visa appears not to be for health reasons but a way to make money for the Government and their associates in the payment system. Why doesn't the Government just call it a tax ? We all must be concerned when the writer states that The Bahamas has gone from their most popular destination to the lowest in interest. Why are the hotel workers union people and business people now suffering from lack of business remaining so silent? It is a frightening situation.

A very good letter ! Let us hope that The Prime Minister and the Central Bank Governor will take action to issue a higher denomination banknote with The Queen's portrait. We should honour both our national heroes and our Head of State similar to what is the situation in many Commonwealth countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

An excellent letter with which I completely agree.

I thoroughly agree with everything this writer has expressed. The Health Visa is deterring visitors from coming here because they can go to so many other nations without all the hassles. If people are fully vaccinated and have their certificates they are legitimate. Check in agents at their local airport are well aware of the validity of the certificates from their area. The Government and its friends with the payment system are all making money with this Visa so likely they do not want to end it. However it is turning people off coming here. We desperately need a revival of tourism not putting up roadblocks in coming here.
Our Queen who has given The Commonwealth of Nations tremendous service for 70 years does not deserve to be eliminated from our currency. As our Head of State she deserves our respect and support. I understand this controversy has made the news in Canada and the U.K. and likely other Commonwealth countries. It is bad publicity and makes us look like a deteriorating third world country. The Queen is more popular than any of our politicians. A new currency note with her image should be introduced right away to correct this situation. Why could the Government not place Arthur Hanna on $3 note and restore that denomination and leave The Queen on the $100 bill?

With no disrespect to Arthur Hanna how unfortunate that the portrait of our Head of State Queen Elizabeth II is to be removed from the $100 bill and does not appear on any other notes. She has served us and other Commonwealth nations with dedicated service for nearly 70 years. In other Commonwalth countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand The Queen appears on one note and the remainder of the notes are former significant national leaders. Perhaps a $500 or $1000 note could be introduced where our Queen can still be honoured for her dedicated service.

Dr. Sands is very wise in all that he says about the Covid19 crisis. I hope the public will become more serious about the risks.
If not then soon we will be overwhelmed and our health system will not be able to cope. We have enough problems now attracting visitors to our shores with all the regulations. If we have a more serious Covid situation why would anyone want to visit here? We need to wake up immediately.

Wait until their travel agents inform prospective visitors to The Bahamas all about our Heath Visa and all the complications, time and expense to complete the requirements. Now from Friday they must all have Covid19 tests after their arrival.. We shall then see how many tourists are willing to come here when all the other destinations have far easier entry rules.

Here is yet another letter of concern from a travel agent who has been booking clients for years to The Bahamas. We should be listening to these people who send us visitors. We are so
accustomed to having large numbers of visitors every year that we think that this will continue now that tourism is opening up after the worst of Covid19. However the Health Visa is so cumbersome that prospective visitors cannot be bothered going through all the hassles and expense to obtain the Visa so they are going to other destinations which are easier to gain entry.. The Tourism Ministry always say they work with "travel partners "..It does not look like much consultation was done before our Tourism Minister introduced this disastrous Visa. Will the Government abolish it when they and the operators who take the Visa payments are all making money? Will our common good come before selfish motives? As the writer says - we are in a disastrous situation - and the outlook looks pretty grim as long as we make it as difficult as possible for tourists to vacation here.

I completely agree with the letter writer. We rely on tourism for our livelihood. However,over the last year, the Minister of Tourism has done all that he can to discourage the tourism we could have had by the unworkable and cumbersome entry rules. There have been so many letters of complaint from travel agents whom we rely on to promote business as well as long term and occasional visitors. Yet none of the rules were changed to any degree. If the Visa is not abolished soon we will miss the important bookings for the winter. It is simply unbelievable that those most affected like the hotel workers union, hotel personnel and managers and local shopowners have been so silent when it is their own jobs at stake. We must face the fact that if things do not change very soon our economy could be in permanent decline.