Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the Hon. Chester Cooper outlined the government’s plans to address the fallout of negative publicity associated with a recent spate of murders at the start of the year and travel advisories issued by the United States and Canada in a presentation made in the House Of Assembly on Wednesday.
Addressing recent claims of sexual assault made by two female visitors to Grand Bahama, Cooper told Parliamentarians, “the Royal Bahamas Police Force issued a statement on February 7th confirming that they were investigating the allegations along with assistance from the FBI. Many Bahamians have taken great interest in the press reports which indicates that the property’s surveillance footage contradicts the allegation. But I want to be clear that it’s important for the full and fair investigation to take place so the facts can be established in an orderly fashion.”
Cooper said the fruits of the ministry’s efforts are beginning to manifest. ”We have already witnessed an uptick in occupancy projections at our largest resorts for the periods of January, February and March compared to the same period in 2023. And when I talk about occupancy levels at our major resorts I’m talking about occupancy levels well in excess of 80%.”
Cooper added, “arrivals at LPIA are reporting double digit increases in arrivals for the period January and February to date. Forward Keys Analytics, an international entity continued to report strong forward bookings. But let me be clear that we acknowledge that some pockets of stakeholders are reporting a falloff in activity and softening of bookings and we’re working with them hand and hand to improve what they are experiencing.”
The Minister also revealed that two campaigns entitled, ‘Tourism Is Everybody’s Business’ and ‘I Love The Bahamas’ will launch this week to promote a community approach to tourism.
