Bone chilling temperatures tearing through Midwestern United States, parts of Canada, and other parts of the world, could very well lead to a spike in tourism numbers for warm weather destinations like The Bahamas.

Tourism Minister, Dionisio D’Aguilar, said he sure hopes so. 

“I think that the incredible cold that they’re experiencing in the mid-west and shortly the north-east, and as I watch the interviews on television where the people are completely exasperated by the level of cold, only bodes well for The Bahamas,” he said.

“And I’m off to New York next week to launch our new brand campaign for The Bahamas, so coming off this extremely cold spell is wonderfully timed and I’m very much looking forward to it,” he added.

At last count, at least 21 people died in what’s said to be one of the worst cold snaps to hit the US midwest in decades. 

US reports are that some 250 million Americans overall have experienced the “polar vortex” conditions.