MYS: Open for Business in The Bahamas

By Paul Joseph

As Hurricane Irma made its way across the Atlantic, the people of the Bahamas had good reason to fear the worst. As was widely reported, many of its neighbouring Caribbean islands took the brunt of the damage, and while the Bahamas did not escape entirely unscathed, it could have been a whole lot worse.

For one of the world’s most idyllic destinations, it was a real shock to the system. But after a difficult time, now the country is ready to get on with the business of making its visitors’ dreams come true once again.

We sat down with Glenda Johnson and Earl Miller, General Managers at the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, to hear their thoughts on recent events, and also find out why they believe the Bahamas is such a major draw with pleasure seekers across the world.

“Our prayers and our hearts go out to all of the other Caribbean islands but in the meantime we want to convey that the Bahamas is open for business,” said Mr Miller. “The northern islands are open, especially where most of the charter yachts go, into Eleuthera and The Abacos.

“We’re also going to be doing something significant, which is fast-tracking any boats that need registration. On payment online we’ll send you directly to the Port Authority and it will be fast-tracked, ready to go.”

This speedy response to the impact of hurricane Irma will be appreciated by yacht owners and charterers the world over. And it was left to Ms Johnson to elucidate on why so many of them choose these magical waters each year.

“”We have so much to see and do,” she enthused. “The land sports, the water sports, so many boat excursions going out to the outlining islands. You can do a day cruise over to the Exuma Cays from Nassau if you wanted to. There’s a whole variety of different activities that you can do by sea.

“And then when it comes to the land, there’s the tours of the city, the off-the-beaten path type tours, New Providence, Paradise Island. Then you get to the different islands like the Exumas. 

“Every single one of them is diverse and has something different to offer and I think that’s the uniqueness of the islands of the Bahamas – you never run out of thing to do.”

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By Paul Joseph