The Bahamas’ tourism industry has a long way to go to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew in early October. Many of the islands’ hotels, casinos and cruise lines were closed, with numerous others trying to recover.
Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board Chairman Russell Miller said, “We had some meetings and I believe it is a great opportunity for us to rebuild, improve and enhance the product. We are in discussion with the Ministry of Tourism to have a re-launch of Grand Bahama early next year when all the products are back in place, and up and running so we can get the message out that Grand Bahama is open for business and we welcome visitors to come back to our shores.
Meanwhile, Sunwing Airlines, which had been operating flights to Freeport to 2003, has stopped all flights from the U.S. and Canada to the Bahamas but will resume normal service on December 17. Also, Carnival Cruise Lines is not operating any cruises to Freeport.
Two of the main hotels in Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island have been shut down for repairs and more than 1,000 hotel employees have been without work since the hurricane struck. The 740-room Grand Lucayan Resort will reopen November 7. The property hosts Treasure Bay Casino. The 496-room Memories Resort is expected to open December 10, and the Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach Resort is scheduled to reopen November 14.
Some of the smaller hotels, like Castaways in Freeport and Pelican Bay Resort in Lucaya, have remained open.
The Garden of the Groves, Taino Beach’s Pirate Cove water theme park and the Port Lucaya Marketplace all are closed due to hurricane damage, which currently is being repaired.
