The Bahamas is planning to reopen its doors for tourism on July 1, the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Aviation announced. 

The country is reopening under the guidelines of its new “Tourism Readiness and Recovery Plan,” which will be an approved, comprehensive guide of health and safety protocols across the country. 

The program covers everything from entry and departure via airports and seaports to “extensive” health and safety protocols aimed at mitigating risks “for all visitors and residents alike.”

“Our top priority has and will always be our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our residents and visitors” said Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation Director General Joy Jibrilu. “We must remember that we are living in a new normal in the wake of COVID-19 and a lot is going to change across the tourism sector. We are putting an even greater emphasis on making sure The Bahamas is safe and clean for everyone, and look forward to once again providing travelers with the tropical experience our islands are known for.”

The reopening will come in several phases. 

On June 15, The Bahamas will allow for boaters, yachters and private aviation to return to the destination. 

These smaller groups will allow what officials are calling a “more controlled segment to test the country’s new measures.”

During that period, commercial airlines will be permitted to bring in Bahamian citizens, legal residents and homeowners qualifying for economic permanent residency, along with any immediate family members and significant others of these groups. 

All those who return will have to register at a Bahamian embassy or consulate and obtain a COVID-19 test with a negative result. 

In the first phase, hotels will reopen for staff to return to work and put in place all of the new measures. 

The second phase, which begins July 1, will allow for the resumption of international travel. 

That includes both international and domestic airlines; hotels and vacation rentals like Airbnb and HomeAway; and transportation. 

So what can travelers expect?

All visitors will receive temperature screenings by healthcare personnel. 

Travelers must wear face masks in “any situation where it is necessary to enforce physical distancing guidelines, such as when entering and transiting air and sea terminals, while navigating security and customs screenings, and at baggage claim.”

On departure, flights will be scheduled at every other gate to provide “as much distance between flights as possible.” 

On-island, hotels and other accommodation providers will have to enforce extensive health and safety protocols, ranging from limiting the number of guests in elevators to discontinuing buffets. 

“The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation believes it is an absolute baseline requirement for consumers to have a comfort level that The Bahamas is a safe and healthy destination to visit, and the ultimate goal is for that to remain the case,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Accordingly, the reopening plan will continue to be monitored, with dates subject to change “based on COVID-19 trends.”

For more, visit The Bahamas. 

— CJ

The post The Bahamas Plans to Reopen for Tourism in July appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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P&O Cruises is extending its pause in operations until Oct. 15, the company announced in a statement. 

P&O Cruises, whose global cruise network includes sailings in the Caribbean, said it was working “in close coordination with all relevant public health bodies” to enhance its health and safety protocols. 

“As a business our operational focus is not ‘when can we resume sailing’ but is instead ‘how can we develop a comprehensive restart protocol that will keep everyone on board, our crew and guests, safe and well and still give our guests an amazing holiday?’” said Paul Ludlow, president of P&O Cruises. 

“Unfortunately, as the world continues to adapt to this global crisis, we have made the decision, difficult as it is, to extend our pause in operations for all sailings up to and including October 15, 2020. We are so sorry for the disappointment this will cause to so many of our guests,” he said. 

P&O’s extension is yet another continued pause for a cruise line amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We have for years had in place many of the protocols now considered advisable for other social gathering venues, such as hand-sanitizing stations and rigorous cleaning and disinfecting procedures. We also have for years gone beyond those protocols by having guests complete a health declaration form and having a comprehensive medical facility on board each ship providing 24/7 medical care and treatment. During the recent crisis, we added robust health screening upon embarkation, starting with thermal scanning of guests and crew.

For more, visit P&O.

— CJ

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In a major move for the Caribbean tourism sector at large, the island of Jamaica is reopening its borders for travelers beginning June 15.

Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced the decision in a letter from the Ministry of Tourism to stakeholders.

Jamaica reopened its borders for the repatriation of nationals on June 1.

The reopening would make Jamaica the largest Caribbean destination to reopen its borders so far.

Saint Lucia is planning to reopen for tourism June 4, as is Antigua and Barbuda, while the United States Virgin Islands reopened for tourism on June 1.

“I congratulate Jamaica on the reopening of our borders on June 15 2020 to all international travelers,” said Adam Stewart, deputy chairman of Sandals Resorts International, the Jamaica-based resort company.

Sandals Resorts had announced plans to reopen the vast majority of its resorts in the Caribbean on June 4 (excepting its properties in The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos).

Stewart said Jamaica’s newly-developed COVID-19-focused health and safety protocols were over 100 pages.

“From transportation, restaurants, villa operators, tour providers and of course all sizes of hotels and resorts, it’s a world-class document that will guide safety for all in the hospitality sector,” Stewart said.

Bartlett said the protocols were “perhaps,the most rigorous set of protocols that could be available anywhere in the world to protect, not just the workers… but the whole country.”

While not all major air carriers have announced their plans, Southwest Airlines just said it would be relaunching some routes to Montego Bay, Jamaica’s tourism hub, beginning July 1.

And Delta Air Lines has officially revealed plans to relaunch daily flights from Atlanta to Montego Bay this month.

The move means resorts can now begin to reopen, like the iconic Half Moon.

“We are continuing our liaison with the Government of Jamaica to ensure we are painstakingly diligent in the phased opening of our property,” said Guy Steuart, Chairman of Half Moon, told Caribbean Journal.

A spokesperson for Half Moon also confirmed to Caribbean Journal that the property’s website and reservations team were now “open for bookings to international travelers, beyond the June 15 date as announced by the Jamaican government.”

Just before the pandemic, Half Moon had debuted its highly-anticipated new Eclipse at Half Moon resort.

So what does the announcement mean for Jamaica’s all-important tourism sector more broadly?

Bartlett recently suggested Jamaica could receive another two million visitors through the end of the year.

More importantly, it’s a boost for the hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans who are employed in the sector.

That would be “somewhere around 50 percent of last year, if we can have a summer start, between June and August,” he said.

Jamaican officials, led by Bartlett, have publicly stated a desire to be a force in the global tourism recovery post-COVID, even branding the new wave of travelers “Generation C.”

The region has to prepare for the “ushering in of a new era,” Bartlett said.

— CJ

The post Jamaica Is Reopening for Tourism on June 15 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Curaçao hotels are working to prepare for the eventual return of visitors, according to the Curaçao Hotel and Tourism Association.

CHATA recently ran a series of site inspections across the Dutch Caribbean island to examine how hotels have been implementing new health and safety protocols.

The wide-ranging operational changes apply to everything from check-in to food ordering and interactions between staff and guests.

Curaçao has not yet announced a planned reopening date for its tourism sector.

“CHATA and the sector is pending to receive the green light to be able to welcome visitors back to the island under the protocols approved by the Government of Curaçao,” CHATA said in a statement. “Once all the site-inspections have been completed, the properties will have to be approved and then the staff can continue with a training given by GMN on the procedure and implementation of the protocols.”

“This shows that Curaçao is indeed ready to welcome visitors,” the organization said.

— CJ

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