BMOTA Director General Joy Jibrilu Shares Optimistic Updates on the State of Tourism during BHTA’s Board of Directors & Membership Meeting.

NASSAU, Bahamas - March 2021- In a recent meeting of The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s Board of Directors & Membership Meeting, Director General Joy Jibrilu shared hopeful news that the tourism industry is well on the way to recovery. 

Noting that 2020 was a challenging year, not only for the country but also globally, Jibrilu expressed her excitement on the current position that the industry holds. “Our insights show us that there is huge interest in Caribbean travel, and specifically travel to The Bahamas.” 

Data has shown that this interest has peaked since the opening of the borders. Reflecting this trend is the latest report from the Expedia Group’s North American sites which highlight that searches to and about The Bahamas have increased nearly 170% in February.  In light of the removal of the “Vacation in Place” requirement and the consistent border entry requirement, The Bahamas has seen its most steady increase in interest among American travelers.

“We know that tourism will continue to grow in 2021,” noted Jibrilu as she explained that 3^rd party detail has revealed that longer and international trips are a preference as tourism moves forward into Q3 and Q4 of 2021. 

The Director General also provided a top-level acumen on BMOTA’s brand strategy, highlighting a meticulous strategy development that conscientiously aligned with 3 core messaging tactics along with timely and accurate deployment. 

As efforts  ramp up to intensify the presence of The Bahamas in key markets, content production for the Out Islands, the partnership with award winning musician Lenny Kravitz  and international media activations and airlift partnerships are in development.

“We have streamlined the process of acquiring the Travel Health Visa, thanks to critical feedback, and this is evident by the volume of applications that has been processed daily,” stated Jibrilu. Between November 2020 and March 23, 2021, the Bahamas Travel Health Visa Unit has processed 230,000 international applications; from March 1 to 23, 2021, over 66,500 international visas have been processed.

The Director General concluded with a hearty thank you to BHTA members, tourism stakeholders and industry partners for their support during a challenging time. 

Media Inquiries

Rissie Demeritte

Sr. Manager- Domestic Communications

rdemeritte@bahamas.com