Airline schedules into Bermuda remain steady as the island grapples “with the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Bermuda Tourism Authority’s (BTA) newly designated CEO, Glenn Jones,

A communication sent out via social media to stakeholders today (March 12), Viking Cruise Lines has cancelled all its cruises worldwide until May 1, 2020.

But that won’t affect Bermuda because the cruise line’s three calls here are in the fall.

Full Statement:

As we all come to grips with the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, we thought it might be helpful to hear about the day-to-day activities of the Bermuda Tourism Authority. The situation is fluid; we are evolving our response constantly.

Upfront, it’s important to say the Bermuda Government is, and should always be, the primary voice on matters of public health. For the latest details on Health Ministry policy and protocols, go to the Government website.

We are working with government officials closely:

  • supplying tourism industry data
  • relaying important information from them to on-island stakeholders
  • communicating with air and cruise partners to ensure there is consistent dialogue and reliable information-sharing

Proactively, we are distributing our destination statement to clients and partners which makes clear there are currently no positive cases of the virus in Bermuda and the island is in the US State Department’s safest category for travel destinations. The statement will be updated on our website as the need arises.

Here are some additional developments and details from the past week of a fast-moving situation:

  • Airline schedules into Bermuda remain steady
  • Collecting cancellation reports from hotel partners on a regular basis
  • Viking Cruise Lines has cancelled all its cruises worldwide until May 1; Bermuda is unaffected by this so far because our three Viking calls are in the fall
  • Today, our New York City sales and marketing office began a work-from-home policy to protect employee health and honour the request of local leaders there. Team members are working normal business hours and are able to meet via video conferencing and respond to office phone calls and emails while working remotely
  • A Bermuda office work-from-home policy is being tested in case it’s needed
  • Later today we’ll participate in the Premier’s meeting with economic sector leaders
  • Reviewing and assessing our marketing and public-relations strategies on a daily basis to ensure agility
  • Stepping up our communications effort with local stakeholders

You have our commitment to a continued stance of clear communications to travellers, stakeholders and public officials throughout this pandemic and the recovery which will follow.