It’s been said that no person is an island, set apart from the interconnectedness of life or shielded from a churning storm overhead. This is true for Wilhemina Gibson, longtime owner of Gibson’s Lunchroom No. 2, on the sparsely populated Crooked Island in the Bahamas. The COVID-19 pandemic and government-ordered shutdowns eroded her usually thriving business, a popular stopover for international travelers, dining on the catch of the day at her comfortable eatery in the Landrail Point Settlement.
Spectacular angling, particularly bonefishing, draws twice-weekly commercial flights to the shallow waters surrounding the island, with other guests arriving by private plane or boat. The island where Gibson works and lives was devastated following 2015’s Hurricane Joaquin, which hovered over Crooked Island for days and destroyed 85 percent of homes in one local settlement (Hurricane Joaquin Recap | The Weather Channel – Articles from The Weather Channel | Weather.com, 2015). In response, Gibson was able to use her restaurant to shelter and feed many of the displaced residents of the island for many days following the hurricane. Rebuilding took years, dovetailing with the arrival of the deadly Hurricane Dorian in 2019 just before COVID-19 swept through.
Recognizing the unique economic and social benefit that Gibson brings to her community, between April and June 2022 The Ambleve Bedrock Foundation funded a $10,000 USD grant to help recover lost salaries for Gibson, known in town as Willie, and her six employees who run the lunchroom, a lodge and supply store, and serve as outfitters linking mostly foreign anglers to knowledgeable Bahamian guides. According to Gibson, the much needed and appreciated grant funds were also used to replace aging equipment and supplies, to include a refrigerator, microwave, pots, glasses, and silverware. The grant aligns with the Foundation’s mission to preserve priceless fishing destinations worldwide and provide financial relief to those who offer exceptional experiences in nature, including Gibson’s Bahamian staff and partners who depend on visitors to earn a living.
A mail boat brings supplies for Gibson’s establishments every two to three weeks, and although shipping delays set back some plans, she has been an invaluable resource with the island’s only active and reliable private generator. When the power goes out, Gibson’s lunchroom transforms into a gathering hall to charge cell phones, access the Internet, and take care of health needs with the medical clinic next door. But between March 2020 and the end of 2021, Gibson says business almost entirely shut down. Currently, the island’s tourist arrival rate is at about 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels, but additional challenges have arisen which include the rising cost of food, materials, and labor. While Gibson continues to build back her business from the damage levied by successive hurricanes, followed by the economic losses from COVID-19 travel shutdowns, she welcomes the return of visitors.
By the end of 2020, international tourism on a global scale fell by 74 percent, eating into the tourism sector and threatening livelihoods across the world. Emerging and developing countries such as the Bahamas that are most dependent on tourism “experienced more severe economic downturns in 2020 compared to pre-crisis expectations” (Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy The Brookings Institution & Milesi Ferretti, 2021). As a share of GDP, the Bahamas has historically seen one of the higher percentages from tourism activity, at 23.4%, compared to other countries whose economies post large net revenues from international travel.
Despite setbacks, the future is promising for Gibson and her business. She’s looking ahead to her typical busy season starting next January through April when sailing and yachting pick up, and she will be serving her signature wahoo sushi to customers. A new marina was recently completed nearby, and Gibson’s outfitting business with her sought-after guides expects to welcome back anglers from around the world.
References
Acklins & Crooked Islands – Bonefishing in The Bahamas. (n.d.). Bahamas. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.bahamas.com/islands/acklins-crooked-island
Hurricane Joaquin Recap | The Weather Channel – Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com. (2015, October 8). The Weather Channel. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-joaquin-bahamas-atlantic-east-coast-bermuda-2015
Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy The Brookings Institution & Milesi Ferretti, G. M. (2021, August). The Travel Shock. Brookings Institution. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WP74-Milesi-Ferretti.pdf
Blog Post writing and research services provided by Finer Point Writing LLC.
All Photos courtesy of Gibson’s Lunchroom No. 2 and Willie Gibson.
All Photos courtesy of The Ambleve Bedrock Foundation and Morocco Unexplored.
