Emirates airline signs agreement to promote tourism in the Bahamas

Deal to boost transport links, with enhanced connectivity from US airports through codeshare and interline partners

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, right, and Frederick Mitchell at the signing ceremony between Emirates and the Bahamas' Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Public Service in Dubai. Photo: Emirates

Emirates, the world's largest long-haul airline, signed a preliminary agreement with the Bahamas' Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Public Service to promote tourism to the island nation.

The agreement will see the Dubai-based carrier develop initiatives to promote the Bahamas as a tourism destination to customers across its global network, including developing enhanced connectivity to Nassau Lynden Pindling International Airport from US gateways through its codeshare and interline partners, Emirates said.

The agreement was signed in Dubai by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive of the Emirates Group, and Frederick Mitchell, the Bahamas' Minister of Foreign Affairs and Public Service. Witnessing the ceremony were Adnan Kazim, chief commercial officer of Emirates; Salem Obaidalla, senior vice president of commercial operations for the Americas at Emirates; and Tony Joudi, Ambassador of the Bahamas to the UAE.

"Across the world, Emirates plays a key role in boosting tourism to various destinations by providing travellers with reliable, convenient and comfortable flight options for travel. We are delighted to work with the Bahamas to strengthen transport links and to support the country to welcome tourists from around the world. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership," Sheikh Ahmed said.

The Bahamas' predominantly market economy is heavily dependent on the tourism sector, which accounts for more than one-third of gross national product and employs about two-fifths of the workforce, according to Britannica.

The latest report from the Central Bank of the Bahamas, quoting statistics from the Ministry of Tourism, showed that total visitor arrivals declined by 54.6 per cent over the first eight months of the year, although a better figure from the 65.9 per cent drop in the same period of 2020.

Air arrivals – also indicative of stopover arrivals – grew by 56.8 per cent and across all major markets, a reversal from the 71.4 per cent contraction in 2020, it added.

The sustained gradual resumption of the Bahamas' tourism activity remains contingent on the pace of progress on the international health front, the availability, distribution and effectiveness of vaccines and the global demand for travel, the central bank said. The re-employment of tourism sector employees will be crucial to improving the unemployment rate, which is expected to remain elevated, it added.

Currently, Emirates customers can connect to Nassau airport on codeshare flights with US low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways from four major airports, including Boston, Newark, New York JFK and Orlando. They can also fly through Toronto on interline flights with Air Canada to Nassau and George Town.

"The Bahamas is truly an unmatched destination offering a wide variety of leisure experiences that can appeal to every visitor. We are grateful to the support offered by Emirates and we look forward to welcoming tourists from the UAE and other global markets to the Bahamas," Mr Mitchell said.

Emirates operates a modern fleet of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft to a network of more than 120 destinations across six continents.