Travel Industry Pitches Helping Hand to the Bahamas

Caribbean News…
07 September 2019 9:37pm
Travel Industry Pitches Helping Hand to the Bahamas

Food, clean water, shelter, health and sanitation services are critical needs in the hurricane's aftermath. Businesses and celebrities are making commitments to assist the Bahamas and organizations are asking the public to help with the relief efforts.

The tourism industry, perhaps unsurprisingly, has been quite proactive with Dorian relief activities.

Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International, is working with its international and local Bahamian ground partners, including The Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Bahamas Hotel Tourism Association, HeadKnowles, Odyssey Aviation Bahamas, Food for the Poor and Sandals Royal Bahamian, a Sandals representative told ABC News.

Additionally, Sandals Foundation delivered 30,240 bottles of water on Sept. 3 to the northern Bahamian islands in partnership with the Bahamas Hotel Tourism Association, HeadKnowles and Odyssey Aviation Bahamas.

In a partnership with Food for the Poor, the Sandals Foundation spokesperson said the first air shipment of over 400 personal hygiene kits, 400 disaster blankets and over 1,500 instant pre-packaged meals, as well as 100 two-burner stoves are presently being air freighted to Nassau for distribution to the northern Bahamian islands.

"We are also presently packing a container of in-kind donations valued at $150,000 U.S. dollars of first response items such as chainsaws, generators, flashlights, tarp holdings, water coolers, energy sports drinks and cleaning supplies," the spokesperson said via email.

The Sandals Foundation also donated over $54,000 worth of towels and linen to doctors and nurses traveling by boats to the northern Bahamas Thursday and Friday to assist with medical response.

The spokesperson confirmed that Sandals' three Bahamian resorts were not impacted by Dorian.

Norwegian Cruise Line committed a minimum of $1 million "toward immediate short-term relief aid" according to a press release from the company. Royal Caribbean also pledged $1 million in disa56ster relief, according to a post from its verified Twitter account.

Carnival Corporation announced a partnership with Tropical Shipping and NEMA to collect NEMA-approved food and supplies from several Florida counties, including Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach, to deliver to the ravaged Caribbean nation.

Source: ABC News

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