The soft reopening at Belair Beach Hotel (see related article) is the kind of news many were hoping for. Having 54 of the 70 rooms in operation again means these can now be occupied by guests who bring much-needed business to the island.
Worth mentioning is that employees were kept on and used to assist in the rebuilding effort where possible, to the satisfaction of their union Worker’s Institute for Organised Labour (WIFOL). The owners and management stuck out their necks by moving ahead despite insurance issues.
Adjacent Divi Little Bay Resort too confirmed, during a working visit by Governor Eugene Holiday, its reopening with 87 rooms in May. Getting these two accommodations back online could help revive the nearby Philipsburg shopping area in the process.
Saturday’s paper included a story that Princess Heights at Dawn Beach is fully open. Add to this the reopening of Simpson Bay Resort and Marina with one of its main buildings at the beginning of March and one can see that the stayover tourism sector is slowly but surely recovering.
Some large properties such as Atrium never really closed, as is the case with several smaller hotels, motels and apartment complexes. Oyster Bay Beach Resort had earlier indicated plans to reopen at half capacity in June and a few others might be back soon as well.
Of course, all this doesn’t change the fact that various badly damaged major resorts are still down and probably will be for quite a while. Whatever can reasonably be done to expedite their reconstruction should be considered.
While the assistance, funding and aid being made available to the country are obviously most welcome and highly appreciated, restoring the hospitality industry is crucial. Locals aren’t very keen on handouts and would instead prefer to see more visitors return, so money can be earned providing the service and vacation experience for which “The Friendly Island” became known.
Therefore, although the current positive developments may be considered “baby steps,” they are nevertheless very significant.
