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BHTA Pres: Bahamas “Open for Business”

Press Statement from BHTA President, Robert ‘Sandy’ Sands regarding the elimination of the Bahamas Health Travel Visa (BTHV) AND testing for fully vaccinated persons travelling to The Bahamas.

In response to the recent announcement regarding the elimination of the Bahamas Travel Health Visa (BTHV) and the Testing Requirements for fully vaccinated persons traveling to The Bahamas,  effective this Sunday, 19 June 2022 at 12.01 a.m., The Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA) President ‘Sandy’ Sands stated: “We applaud The Hon. Chester Cooper, Deputy Prime Minister and  Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, and The Hon. Dr. Michael Darville,Minister of Health and Wellness; the Emergency Operations Committee (EOC); The Bahamas Government, for their swift and decisive move to eradicate the Bahamas Travel Health Visa and the underlying Testing requirements in tandem, effective Sunday, June 19th, 2022. The move to eradicate both the BTHV and the testing requirements is a prime example of the respective government ministries working in concert, effectively and efficiently to ensure The Bahamas is indeed “open for business”.

The announcement to remove both friction points highlights the synchronistic approach by the respective government ministries and their ability to work together, alongside private sector tourism stakeholders to strike a balance between the tourism economy and the health and well-being of Bahamian citizens, residents and visitors. This is without a doubt excellent news for our Tourism Industry and our nation as a whole. This move will not only position us to be on par with our Caribbean competitors and other global jurisdictions including the US, as it pertains to entry protocols, it will put The Bahamas on firm footing to continue, if not, accelerate the momentum of our upward-moving trajectory of success. The Bahamas is well positioned to exceed expectations for the full and sustained recovery of our tourism industry. We are ecstatic about this announcement by The Bahamas Government.