Ministry of Health and Wellness, Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, and Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association Collaborates with the Caribbean Public Health Agency to Reinvigorate Bahamas Tourism and Health Program for Healthier Safer Population, Tourism and Economic Sustainability.

The Bahamas Ministry of Health and Wellness, Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, together with Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association, Bahama Out Islands Promotion Board and Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board participated a Tourism and Health Steering Committee Meeting with the Regional Tourism and Health Program (THP) of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) on 30 November 2022 in Nassau, Bahamas. The aim of this meeting was to reintroduce the THP, plan with the Steering Committee on how to implement the THP and re-engage various tourism establishments and facilities to support early-warning health and safety mechanisms, thus further
promoting Bahamas as a healthier safer destination and improving the sustainability of Bahamas’ economy.

The Minister of Health and Wellness Hon. Dr. Michael Darville endorsed the THP and stated his commitment to support the revitalization of the THP in Bahamas, which was officially launched in 2016. Within the Tourism and Health Steering Committee Meeting, members discussed the importance of the THP in the Bahamas, highlighting the benefits and positive impacts for tourism and hospitality sector including enhanced reputation competitiveness and marketability; improved quality, resilience and sustainability; reduced illness entry and spread in the establishment as well as a free confidential, internal health and safety information system, all leading toward a healthier safer tourism product for both locals and visitors. 

The Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Pearl McMillan reiterated the importance of the early warning and response travelers system to trigger early response, indicating that the system supports Bahamas’ overall national surveillance system and that the response was the role of the Ministry of Health. The members of the Steering Committee agreed that the Tourism and Health Information System (THiS) would benefit the tourism and hospitality facilities as it can prompt a rapid response from the Ministry of Health and Wellness to investigate and prevent outbreaks, once there is weekly reporting.

The THiS is a web-based, early warning and response information system which confidentially captures travelers’ illnesses in real time, with a built-in alert system to trigger a rapid and coordinated response to reduce illness spread, economic and reputational negative impact at the tourist facilities. In this secured platform, users from tourist facilities will only have access to the information from their facility. To register on the Tourism and Health Information System (THiS), click here.

The benefits of the THP to Health and Tourism are immense, including enhanced reputation competitiveness and marketability; improved quality, resilience and sustainability; more arrivals, visitors and more financial profits; rapid response to public health events; reduced lawsuits, liabilities and blame; Healthier Safer Tourism Stamp; advanced food safety capacity and international certification; reduced illness entry and spread in the establishment. For the health sector, there would 2 be strengthen public health capacity for disease and surveillance monitoring and response; real-time health tracking system for timely alerts and response to health, safety and environmental sanitation threats; improved regional health security; strengthened capacity in Food and environment safety; rapid response by health to tourism based public health events to avoid spread and reduction in illness
entry, spread, and disease outbreaks.

Bahamas tourism establishments can also attain the internationally and regionally recognised Caribbean Traveller’s Health Assurance Stamp for Healthier Safer Tourism (HST Stamp), which is endorsed by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Caribbean Hotel & Tourist Association (CHTA). The HST Stamp is the only measurable and verifiable travelers health assurance and recognition award for tourism entities that are implementing the recommended proactive health monitoring and safety measures. To be awarded the HST Stamp, tourism facilities must be registered and reporting on THiS, and staff must participate in CARPHA’s virtual Infectious Disease Training for the tourism and hospitality sector. Currently, Graycliff Hotel is the sole awardee of the HST Stamp in Bahamas.

Members of the Tourism and Health Steering Committee - Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Bahamas Hotel & Tourist Association and Bahama Out Islands Promotion Board – reiterated their support the revitalization of the Bahamas Tourism and Health Program and their commitment in engaging Bahamas tourism and hospitality facilities.

The Regional Tourism and Health Program is an innovative multifaceted, multisectoral program that is addressing the health, safety and environmental sanitation (HSE) challenges that impact Caribbean tourism through novel regional public goods of real time early warning and response monitoring systems for land based & cruise tourism, capacity building and regional guidelines, HSE standards, policy, travellers health stamp and app, advocacy, partnerships and policy. The primary purpose of the THP is to strengthen countries’ capacity to prepare for and respond to public health threats that can transcend national boundaries, thereby improving tourism resilience and economic sustainability and promoting the country as a globally recognized, healthier, safer destination. For more information on CARPHA’s Regional Tourism and Health Program, click here. In April 2014, the process to establish the Tourism and Health Program (THP) in the Bahamas commenced with the main objective of strengthening its capacity to monitor and respond to tourism based public health events.

Important Information
▪ Register on the Tourism and Health Information System: http://this.carpha.org/
▪ Information on the HST Stamp: https://carpha.org/THP/Healthier-Safer-Tourism
▪ Information on CARPHA: http://www.carpha.org/
▪ CARPHA Infectious Disease Training for the Hospitality Sector (virtual) – January 2023 (date to be
announced)
▪ For more information on Bahamas Tourism and Health Program, contact Ms. Karen Seymour, Executive Director, Industry Facilitation Division, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation