Category: BHA News

The destruction brought on by Hurricane Irene could result in increased investment by hoteliers in the maintenance and upgrading of their hotel properties in some of the Family Islands that were hardest hit by the storm, according to executive vice president of the Bahamas Hotel Association Frank Comito.

His statement came shortly after Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham signed an exigency order (49KB PDF) which allows hotel owners to bring certain goods duty free that would help with their rebuilding efforts.

…Continue readingIrene Could Lead To Increased Hotelier Investments

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham yesterday signed an exigency order (49KB PDF) that will allow residents, businesses and hotel owners in Cat Island and Acklins who have been hard hit by Hurricane Irene to bring in certain goods duty free for up to six months.

Residents on Long Cay, Mayaguana, Rum Cay, San Salvador, Inagua and Ragged Island will also benefit from the order.

…Continue readingExigency Order To Benefit Islands

THE MINISTER of Tourism and Aviation, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, said yesterday that the impact of Hurricane Irene had forced many hotel properties to accelerate their renovation plans.
…Continue readingIrene Prompts Hotel Upgrades

Bahamas Red Cross Appealing For Relief Support…
Cat Island, Acklins, Crooked Island And Rum Cay Have Greatest Needs

The Bahamas Red Cross is bringing assistance to those persons affected by Hurricane Irene.  Many of those areas are without electricity and basic services and may be so for several weeks in the more remote areas.  We encourage members and friends of BHA who are able to do so, to assist as quickly as possible.
 
…Continue readingBHA Encourages Members To Assist Red Cross

Employers Looking to Hire May Benefit from Salary Subsidy Program
Interested Employers Should Register With Government

The government has set aside $25 million for a jobs placement program primarily aimed at young unemployed Bahamians under 30 years of age.  The program is designed to prepare unemployed Bahamians for entry into the labor market after they receive 52 weeks of formal on-the-job training and career coaching through structured on-the-job training. 

Participating businesses that take on additional workers will be eligible for subsidized salaries during that time by the government for up to $210 per week, with the idea that they will be fully employed after the subsidy period.

…Continue readingJobs Placement and Salary Subsidy Program

Work on Baha Mar’s $2.6 billion Cable Beach project restarted on Friday after suffering a 48-hour delay due to Hurricane Irene’s passage, a senior executive with the resort developer/owner adding that from that evening onwards visitors would be “hard pressed to think” the storm hit the area.
…Continue readingNo Storm Impact At Baha Mar

Between 3,500-4,000 stopover visitors ended their Bahamian vacations early due to Hurricane Irene, the minister of tourism and aviation has revealed, potentially costing this nation up to $4.4 million in lost tourism revenues.

The Category Three hurricane also disrupted the relatively high occupancy levels that were being enjoyed by many Nassau/Paradise Island-based resorts, Tribune Business understands, with rates running at between 65-85 per cent for most properties.
…Continue readingBahamas Hotels Lose Over $4 Million In Tourism Revenue

Nassau, Bahamas-August 28, 2011—United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) has advised that it is prepared to provide pre-clearance services at LPIA with new operating hours until further notice. Beginning Monday, August 29th between 9:00am to closing, USCBP officials will pre-clear flights leaving LPIA during this specific window.

…Continue readingLPIA Resumes Pre-Clearance, New Hours

A Message from BHA President Stuart Bowe
By and large The Bahamas tourism industry was sparred the full intensity of Hurricane Irene and clean-up efforts by hotels and attractions are well underway.  Major resorts on Nassau, Paradise Island and Grand Bahama are fully operational with few exceptions.   Except for the easternmost islands, most damage is landscaping-related.  There has been some minor roof damage.  Preliminary reports from Long Island, Cat Island, Eleuthera and Abaco, which suffered the brunt of the storm, are just reaching us.  Along with the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, we are assessing the extent of damages to hotels throughout the country and hope to have a good reading on that within several days.
 
…Continue readingRelief Efforts, Message From BHA Chief