Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association

Bahamian tourism is going to “have to live with” COVID-19 and devise measures to reassure both visitors and industry employees that the sector is safe, a Cabinet minister warned yesterday.

Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told Tribune Business that the Government needed to work with both the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) and other stakeholders in developing protocols to create the necessary “comfort” once borders re-opened and travel commenced.

Arguing that The Bahamas was “going to have no choice” but to introduce such controls, Mr D’Aguilar said the country needed to begin thinking about this now and learn from the measures other countries are putting in place.

John Watling’s Distillery Ltd. has switched gears to produce a hand-sanitizer for The Bahamas.

Globally over 600 spirit manufacturers are now making hand-sanitizer to combat the global pandemic.

To help slow the spread of COVID-19 John Watling’s Distillery has switched gears to produce a hand sanitizer for The Bahamas.

Globally over 600 spirit manufacturers are now making hand sanitizer to combat the pandemic. As the only super-premium spirits manufacturer in The Bahamas, “we see it as a war effort,” said Jose Portuondo, the distillery’s co-founder.

“We are lucky to have an inventory of Ethyl alcohol to fight against this virus,” added Mr Portuondo.

“For John Watling’s Distillery, there was no question in doing our part. Like the rest of our industry, we shifted our business to meet the needs of our community and those on the front line.”