VHR, WORLDWIDE

Visitors Arrive to Most Islands as Services Return to Normal (excerpted) 

NASSAU, BAHAMAS--(Marketwired - October 12, 2016) - It is business as usual for villas, hotels, resorts, dive operations, and tours throughout much of The Islands of The Bahamas following the passage of Hurricane Matthew last week.

Following the all clear issued by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) last Friday, the majority of businesses in the tourism industry in The Bahamas resumed operations, and The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (BMOT) is sending the message out to the world that many islands in The Bahamas are open for business.

BMOT representatives throughout the Islands of The Bahamas conducted assessments of the tourism product immediately following Friday's all clear signal.

"We are welcoming visitors to many of our beautiful islands with open arms and are happy to report that the storm did not discourage travelers from taking their Bahamas vacations as planned. We continue to receive well wishes and inquiries from visitors who are eager to explore our destination," Director General in the Ministry of Tourism, Joy Jibrilu said.

"As the country begins to settle back into normalcy we will stand and assist with rebuilding exercises on the areas that are affected. Our industry partners, visitors and friends of The Bahamas are also offering to assist with our efforts to return the tourism industry to its full potential."

Exuma
There were reports of minimal damage around the island to resorts, tourist attractions and properties. The world famous swimming pigs are also doing well and are hungry as always. 

Eleuthera
There were no reports of major damage on Eleuthera either. The beaches on the island remain as beautiful as ever and the Glass Window Bridge is intact.

San Salvador
Also reported minimal damage. All of the hotels and resorts on the island reported minor landscaping damage and are either already open for business or are preparing to open as scheduled for the busy tourism season.

Long Island
No reports of major damage to hotels and resorts on the island. 

Abaco
The island's villas, condominiums, and resorts were left relatively unscathed by Hurricane Matthew. Many are either open or preparing to open as scheduled.

Great Stirrup Cay

The Berry Islands had no major damage to report. 

New Providence (Nassau and Paradise Island)

While New Providence was impacted by Hurricane Matthew many of the resorts are open.

·         Blue Lagoon Island is open for business and welcomed guests to the island on Monday to enjoy the beautiful beach.

·         Sea lion and stingray encounters and the Segway Safari will open on Wednesday, October 12.

Bimini was also spared from the ravages of the storm and many on the island are grateful.

Initial reports indicate that Andros and Grand Bahama were the hardest hit during Hurricane Matthew. Recovery efforts are well underway to restore the communities as well as the tourism product on those islands. A full report on the extent of the damage to the tourism product on those islands will be released this week.

Fortunately, UNEXSO, which offers a variety of scuba diving activities and interactive dolphin activities to visitors, reported minimal damage and resumed operations on Monday.

​

"We know that this storm has been devastating for Grand Bahama and North Andros and our thoughts, prayers and good wishes go out to the people of those affected areas," said Director General of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Joy Jibrilu. "While we are happy to report that the tourism industry is back to normal on the majority of our islands, we are not ignoring that it will take a lot of work to restore the industries on those islands that were affected by Matthew."

The Bahamas Diving Association reported that all of the dive operations in the country have resumed and started servicing guests in Abaco, Bimini and New Providence as early as Saturday.

The Islands Of The Bahamas have a place in the sun for everyone. Each island has its own personality and attractions for a variety of vacation styles with some of the world's best scuba diving, fishing, sailing, boating, as well as, shopping and dining. The destination offers an easily accessible tropical getaway and provides convenience for travelers with preclearance through U.S. customs and immigration, and the Bahamian dollar is on par with the U.S. dollar. Do everything or do nothing, just remember It's Better in The Bahamas. 

​

October 14, 2016

Many countries require that your U.S. passport has as much as 6 months validity remaining for entry.  If your passport doesn't have the required validity, renew it today to avoid the cost and stress of waiting until the last minute.

May 24, 2016

Never hurts to play it safe.

May 17, 2016