The Bahamas Need Tourism at Center of Post-Dorian Recovery

Hurricane Dorian took its deadly toll on the Bahamas earlier this week and continued up the U.S. coast in a weakened state on Friday. The storm has left the islands of The Abacos and Grand Bahama destroyed, and will force an economy that relies on tourism for roughly 50 percent of of its gross domestic product to launch a mammoth recovery effort. Following the strongest storm to ever strike the country since records began, the official death toll is 30 and is expected to rise to what the country's health minister warned could be "unimaginable" levels. As the storm made landfall at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina early Friday, the priority in The Abacos and Grand Bahama islands rightly remains search and rescue and getting essential services to those affected. The Bahamas will seek extensive foreign government aid and it is urgently appealing for cash donations, with assistance coming from both the private and public sector. Cruise lines, hotels, and resorts have all set up funds or made donations. Recovery is likely to take years and could cost at least $7 billion. But in the coming weeks and months, as the urgent human need turns to longer-term economic recovery, the Bahamas will necessarily have to focus its efforts on its $4.3 billion tourism industry. From large resorts to small businesses, the Bahamas is dependent on tourism to a degree that few other nations can rival — which is why officials are eager to encourage tourists not to cancel their visits. The way the Bahamas goes about this recovery will not only be crucial to make sure the islands make a full recovery, but also to ensure the tourism industry is better equipped to deal with future storms. More unprecedented storms like Dorian — which hung over Grand Bahama for a stunning 40 hours in what was described as an "extreme stalling event" — are, unfortunately, likely to continue in the future. Please Visit One of the biggest challenges in the wake of any natural disaster for tourism economies i