The Economic and Social Impact of Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19 on Tourism in Selected Islands in The Bahamas

In September 2019, The Bahama Islands were hit by a category 5 hurricane Dorian, which stalled over the islands for two days. Dorian's aftermath left an estimated $3.4 billion dollars in damages, lost lives, homes destroyed, and a weakened economy heavily reliant on tourism. As residents worked to restore a sense of normalcy, six months later they were faced with the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic pandemic. Bahamians now had to cope with two major disasters. How to rebuild an economy inclusive of the tourism industry but also how to survive in the COVID-19 environment of lockdowns, wearing masks, social distancing, economic hardships, and employment loss in a still recovering economy. This chapter used an electronic survey to collect data about examining the ways in which Bahamians coped with two natural disasters simultaneously – hurricane Dorian and COVID-19 economically and socially, and how the islanders view The Bahamas moving forward in the face of these events.