Tourism numbers rise

Some excellent news, according to the latest Central Bank report, Visitor performance in the first half of 2011 experienced an upturn, with total arrivals increasing by 14.8 percent up to April. The latest figures were found in the Central Bank’s Monthly Economic Financial Developments (MEFD) June report, which also further revealed the uptick in air and sea travel.
“In April, total visitor arrivals firmed by 14.8 percent, buoyed by a 2.8 percent hike in air arrivals — the first monthly increase for the year — and steady gains in sea visitors of 19.2 percent,” the report stated.
“All of the major destinations recorded improvements, with total arrivals to New Providence up by 6.1 percent and double digit gains in both Grand Bahama and the Family Islands, of 16.1 percent and 29.8 percent, respectively.”
The first half visitor performance also translated into increased hotel revenues for local properties, with Frank Comito, the Executive Vice President of the Bahamas Hotel Association (BHA), saying the 5.8 percent growth in room rates could be attributed to the busier travel period and various tourism initiatives.
“For the first half of the year, we’ve continued to show marginal improvement in occupancy and slightly better improvement in room rates,” Comito told Guardian Business.  “A late easter, a stronger spring break business, continued improvement in group business and the Fly-Free and other promotional campaigns all contributed to marginal increases.”
Comito’s comments come after various hotels in Nassau and Paradise Island collectively posted the highest occupancy levels since 2008, recording an 80.1 percent rate in the first quarter of 2011 according to BHA President Stuart Bowe.
Occupancy levels experienced a small growth of 0.2 percent to 61.1 percent in the second quarter of this year, with the average daily room rate rising 5.4 percent to $219.86.  Comito mentioned that he is optimistic that the summer numbers will be equal or better than last year despite the recovery stage hotels are in locally and globally revenue-wise.
“Thus far, we are anticipating the summer will be on par or slightly better than 2010 occupancy-wise,” he said.  “We expect there to be stronger performance in room rates, still below pre-recession rates, as hotels in The Bahamas and worldwide continue to struggle to improve revenue.
“We are optimistic that we can at least maintain the increases which we realized in the fall of 2010 and build on that.  With advanced bookings, particularly in group business, we are encouraged.”

Paradise at Your Doorstep: A Grand Bahama Getaway

THE EPOCH TIMES

By Beverly Mann

My skin tingled from the coolness of the tranquil, turquoise waters, as I ran my hand gently along his smooth silky skin. He leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. I was totally awestruck having just been up close and personal with a delightful dolphin!
This was one of many affordable adventures available on a recent trip to The Bahamas, a 100,000-square-mile archipelago of some 700 islands and smaller cays (approximately the size of Connecticut).
Golden Getaway

My 35-minute flight from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Freeport/Lucaya Airport on Grand Bahama Island (the closest of the islands to the US) was an easy way to segue into the Caribbean culture for four days—and at an unbeatable price compared to other overseas journeys.

There are infinite tour packages to choose from on Grand Bahama Island for families, couples, and singles. Some include two meals per day selected from a roster of restaurants, along with an array of activities on land and water to enjoy in this tropical paradise.
y dolphin experience was organized by the Underwater Explorers Society (UNEXSO), where a visitor can also swim with dolphins, dive with sharks, or kayak through a maze of mangroves and caverns while eyeing egrets and herons.

I arrived at the center of the lush 372-acre Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort with my Club Grand Bahama card in hand. I had enough time to lunch at the onsite, popular Billy Joe’s for a fresh conch (pronounced conk), the island’s seafood staple, which is similar to calamari.

The fried conch was tender and sweet to taste, and the salad was light and chewy. The famous Bahama Mama drink is sold there. I was warned not to be fooled by its sweetness. The potent gold and coconut rum are well disguised in the orange and pineapple grenadine.

After lunch, I took a 20-minute stroll along Our Lucaya Resort’s colonial-style property and one-mile beachside, where I watched the speed boats cut through the pristine ocean.
More To See And Do

Directly across from the resort stands the colorful Port Lucaya Marketplace boasting an impressive line-up of souvenir shops and jewelry stores. Granny’s Hats, a diminutive store in the middle of the square, caught my eye.

I first thought that the glass case window revealed multicolored vases, but instead these were expandable, handmade hats recycled from cardboard. Also for sale were decorative conch shells and palmetto palm handcrafted baskets, with artistic origins found in the Bahamian and Seminole cultures.

Owners Terry Goldsmith, a 25-year cancer survivor, and his wife Dorothy assist in creating the hats, while donating some of the proceeds for children with cancer, aged 8 to 18, to go for a two-week escape to a camp near Rochester, New York.

I couldn’t resist a creamy, coconut gelato at the nearby Island Tavern, a local hangout where I met the most precious 3-year-old Bahamian boy who brought over his block set and book and sat down to join me at the table. The children, as well as the adults, seem to warmly embrace tourists.

That evening, I was picked up from the hotel and dropped off at the Outrigger’s in Smith’s Point where I danced to Caribbean sounds, witnessed a conch shelling, and ate from a buffet barbecue around a bonfire. Many young couples, mostly newlyweds, participated in the pre-dinner games.
Read the Full Article HERE

Talkin' Tourism features Old Bahama Bay and Sustainable Tourism

By Talkin' Tourism

 Talkin’ Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond) a weekly radio program based in Stuart, Florida, conducted a live remote of the show from Old Bahama Bay, West End, Grand Bahama to promote the Blue Flag Programme and sustainable tourism. From left to right: Lloyd Cheong; Chairman, Blue Flag Programme for Grand Bahama, Earlston McPhee; general manager Sustainable Tourism-Ministry of Tourism, Harold Rolle; West End resident and special guest co-host for the show, Gary Guertin; host Talkin’ Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond), Jackie Carroll, general manager, Old Bahama Bay.

 West End, Grand Bahama - According to Wikipedia, Sustainable Tourism is an industry committed to making a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people. The aim of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development brings a positive experience for the local people, tourism companies and the tourists themselves. This week’s show, hosted by the luxury boutique and marina of Old Bahama Bay and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, was a prime example of sustainable tourism and how the Blue Flag Programme plays a role to ensure the sustainability of Bahamian ocean and coastal environments and how participating destinations are making a positive impact on local communities.

Sustainable Tourism General Manager Earlston McPhee explained the essential elements of the program, citing Old Bahama Bay’s commitment to the environment by being the first marina in the Bahamas to achieve the certification. Most importantly, Old Bahama Bay has retained its certification every year since being first certified.

Old Bahama Bay General Manager Jackie Carroll gave listeners all of the key points that make Old Bahama Bay a boaters paradise. Are you looking for a great get-away that is not “too far away?" Then check out the great packageshere. And, here is a Talkin’ Tourism “Insiders’ Tip," the food is wonderful and the guest rooms are absolutely fabulous!
Special guest co-host Harold Rolle, a lifelong West Ender, shared interesting personal perspectives on Old Bahama Bay’s commitment to sustainable and responsible tourism and its positive impact on the residents of West End, Grand Bahama. Very proud of the fact that West End is called the “Home of Hospitality," Harold explained his passion for the tourism industry and the benefits to the island and the country.
Jackie described for the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s holidays. And after the holidays, consider an air-inclusive Grand Bahama Island package. You can find details
And, last but not least, Raul Miranda, the tournament coordinator of the Bahamas Wahoo Championship, gave a brief rundown on the first leg of the championship, which was occuring at the time of our radio show.

Special thanks to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, the Grand Bahama Tourism Office, Discovery Cruise Line, Old Bahama Bay and M&K Car Rentals for being special sponsors of the show. Also, special thanks to Old Bahama Bay Operations Manager Nathan Moody for ensuring all the technology was in place (and working) to accommodate the live remote!

If you missed the show, you can download the audio file HERE. And to see photos from the show, from around Grand Bahama, and aboard the Discovery Sun, check out the slide show below.

Last, a link to an actual video of the show, will be posted in a day or two for your viewing and listening pleasure, so be sure to check back soon!

Ways to improve Grand Bahama tourism

Some times whilst going through my alerts, I come acroos letters and posts that fill me with a little hope, I hope visitors like Scott continue to visit Grand Bahama and recommend the Island to more friends and family.

Read his Letter to the Editor of The Nassau Guardian:

Dear Editor,

My wife and I have been to The Bahamas three times and love your nation. We traveled once to New Providence and twice to Grand Bahama. Although my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed Nassau during our stay at Cable Beach, we found the traffic and crowds(particularly when multiple cruise ships were in port)to be overwhelming.


On our second visit we fell in love with Grand Bahama and to this day sing its praises to all our friends and family. After having our daughter it was a no brainer that we would go to GBI where we felt more comfortable with a child given the throngs of people and speeding cars in Nassau.

Many Americans like myself can't afford to book a family vacation at the Atlantis and with the construction of Baha Mar, stays on New Providence are only going to get costlier.

I have recently been reading inThe Freeport Newsabout ideas to draw American tourists like ourselves to GBI and as a visitor to your beautiful country would like to weigh in. My own experience makes me think that Grand Bahama should market itself as a family destination rather than competing head to head with New Providence which clearly is more suited for couples or wealthier families.

Our 3-1/2-year-old loved her time on the beach and at the UNEXSO dolphin experience. She was fascinated by the beautiful gardens, birds and animals at Garden of the Groves. Her eyes were as wide as saucers at the Junkanoo Rush out we attended.

Everywhere we went she made friends with the children of other tourists or the children of local merchants. We spent time with a gracious family through the People to People program. Like all visitors we did our share of shopping and dining out. GBI should promote itself as the more relaxed alternative to Nassau and Orlando, family friendly while still being a great place for a romantic getaway with the bars, restaurants and the casino at Our Lucaya.

As our daughter grows older there will be snorkeling, scuba and cave exploring to look forward too. Along the lines of this family theme, a Bahamas history center, pirate museum or eco-centre would be an additional draw for tourists with older children(maybe near the International Bazaar to bring more customers to that area). I plan on vacationing on your island as often as my job and wallet will allow and hope for the continued success of your tourist industry.

Yours, etc.,

SCOTT P. PROTENTIS

Bahamas is good break for Interval

By CHESTER ROBARDS

Business Reporter

ORLANDO, Florida - Interval International's affiliated timeshare properties in the Bahamas continue to generate a high market share when compared to other Caribbean islands, the company's regional sales and service director told Tribune Business yesterday, as it eyes expanding that inventory to properties attached to high-end brands.

Neil Kolton said Grand Bahama's Island Seas Resort and Paradise Island's Harborside Resort properties have sold - and continue to sell - extremely well. Harborside recently revealed that its inventory is 97 per cent sold out, and Mr Kolton, coy about the actual figures, added that Island Seas was selling a large amount of units yearly.

He said that despite the depressed Grand Bahama market and foundering stopover visitor numbers, the property, with its timeshare model, draws those owners to their vacation spot yearly.

Mr Kolton added that these islands' proximity to the US was also a huge draw for individuals who want to purchase shared ownership properties.

However, he lamented that like many other Caribbean islands, the barriers to doing business in the Bahamas often dissuade investment in large, branded, mixed-use and exclusively timeshare -entred properties.

President of Ragatz and Associates, Richard Ragatz, speaking yesterday at Interval International's Vacation Ownership Investment Conference, outlined the expansion of fractional properties across the shared ownership market, and which markets are best suited for the niche offering.

While not stating specific markets, what he outlined aptly described the Bahamas' natural, economic and physical attributes, including: High-end tourist profile and repeat guests; demand for whole-ownership properties (second home); good proximity and limited seasonality.

According to him, fractionals have the lowest depreciation rate next to second homes, and far lower than that of timeshares. And while the Bahamas could be a good fit for fractional properties, more hotel branding and high-end property affiliaitons are the key to introducing more ownership-style properties to the Bahamas that draw a sustainable, year-round stopover client.

Grand Bahama Island rides cruise arrivals wave

By Clarence Rolle, MOT

 Freeport, Bahamas - Cruise ferry traffic to Grand Bahama Island is up 36 percent in the first seven months of 2010 compared to the same period of 2009, and a dramatic upswing in stopover visitors from the ferries has brought greater revenue to the island.

Much of this increase can be attributed to the decision by Bahamas Celebration to end its Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau itinerary in March in favor of calls to Freeport from West Palm Beach. In addition, Discovery Cruise Lines out of Ft. Lauderdale changed their product offering and ramped up their marketing activity, resulting in significant growth for them. Arrival numbers have been verified by the Ministry of Tourism up to the end of July and compared to the corresponding period for 2009.

David Johnson, deputy director general of the Ministry of Tourism & Aviation, pointed out that the increase was realized throughout the cruise ferry industry in Grand Bahama.

“The numbers show that Discovery Cruise Lines over the same period registered a substantial growth even when we take away the April windfall because they hardly operated in April of 2009 due to severe mechanical difficulties,” Mr. Johnson said. “For May/June of this year, they attracted 39 percent more traffic.”

Substantial numbers of cruise passengers are staying overnight on Grand Bahama Island, contributing handsomely to the spending on the island, according to Ministry of Tourism & Aviation tallies. In a single sailing on a particular day, the Celebration registered over 700 stopover visitors out of 1,200 passengers, Mr. Johnson said.

In many ways, this is incremental revenue for the island’s principal resorts, he said.

For the year, Discovery Cruise Lines and Bahamas Celebration passengers have accounted for 69,123 room nights. The stopover visitors from the cruise ferries have generated well over $5million in revenue for Grand Bahama resorts.

Terrance Roberts, director for Business Development in the Ministry of Tourism & Aviation, said large and small business operators in Grand Bahama have been noticing increases in their revenue due to the upswing in cruise ferry traffic. Taxi drivers, water sports operators and various vendors are among the Bahamians who have been tapping into the increased business, he said.

This direct spending is in addition to the $20 per passenger departure tax paid to the government.

Michael Weber, general manager of the Radisson and Reef Village at Our Lucaya, said the increased numbers of cruise ferry passengers have made all the difference in business this year.

“They have made an impact this year versus last year without question,” he said. “We have increased on both sides – Discovery Cruise Lines and Bahamas Celebration. It’s been a double bang for us.”

Mr. Weber said Our Lucaya has been working with both cruise ferry operations. As a good partner, they have been involved with joint promotions that have helped to boost revenue.

The healthy rise in business is obvious with just a quick walk through the Our Lucaya property, Mr. Weber said. He said the bustling activity has put resort employees on a more steady economic footing than in the previous year. Many resort staff were working only one or two days per week last year while this year they are enjoying four and five day work weeks.

Mr. Weber said vendors and other business operators on Grand Bahama should be thankful for the improved financial position.

“If they look back and compare, they should be very grateful and appreciate what we have,” he said. “This place is hopping.”

Nako Brice, a taxi driver and tour operator, has also taken notice of the increased business from the cruise port. Now that more visitors are coming in, Mr. Brice said the island must work to develop more activities and attractions to occupy them.

In addition to the increased traffic from Discovery Cruise Lines and the Celebration, Mr. Brice has seen a jump in the number of passengers arriving aboard Carnival Cruise Lines as well. Between January and July, Carnival moved from 163,299 passenger arrivals to 263,071 – an increase of 61 percent.

Can GB marry tourism and industrial zones?

all images © 2010 Lyndah Wells

By GENEA NOEL

Freeport News Reporter

As Grand Bahama struggles to maintain its status as a tourist destination and an industrial zone, the Grand Bahama Cham-ber of Commerce's (GBCC) economic plan hopes to marry the two for the future development of the island.

The plan which is intended to shape the business strategy of Grand Bahama, will seek input from community leaders, business persons and other stakeholders to ensure viability and sustainabilty.

GBCC president, Peter Turnquest said that Grand Bahama is large enough for the two to co-exist as a tourist destination and as the country's industrial capital, but it will not work without keen interest and funding.

"We can facilitate both," he said. "If you talk about trying to put a hotel in an industrial zone obviously it is not going to work. However we do have a beautiful west Grand Bahama that is largely untapped, beautiful locations in the East that are untapped and even in the Freeport area there are areas for development that are untouched."

Turnquest added that the beauty of the island is that it has been expertly compartmentalized creating opportunities to promote all of these areas as engines of economic development.

"I am one that believes that our future probably leans more toward the industrial side and maritime affairs in particular. However there have been ideas from a touristic point of view that could change the landscape of our tourism product."

The GBCC's plan he said will look at securing funding which would require a lot of effort from all different sectors of leadership, both government and private.

"I absolutely think that the plan can work toward making the two work and I think that there is no doubt that we can do both because Grand Bahama island is beautifully set up for this."

Turnquest expects for the plan to be completed by next summer with the second phase, which involves reaching a consensus on how to resolve the critical issues that stifle the island's economic growth, to be completed by the end of this year.

"We know that there are several plans that have been done in the past. The GBPA has done plans with a particular focus on their needs, obviously, and the Flemming Group also created a plan when they were entertaining the idea of coming to Grand Bahama. We intend to take advantage of those studies that have been done, but we also want to be sure that we cover the areas from an indigenous point of view," Turnquest said.

"Our primary goal is to provide wealth creation for Bahamians. Inasmuch as we are looking toward foreign direct investment to help the primary focus that is going to strengthen entrepreneurship and strengthen local businesses. That is what is going to take us through the kinds of ups and downs that we had in the past, and help us to ride out the kind of recessions that we are going through now."

He maintained that the plan will not be restricted to the Freeport area, but include input from the entire island, and the Chamber is expanding its committee to ensure that there is representation from all areas.

GB air, sea arrivals increase by 20 percent

Aggressive marketing strategies during the peak of the economic downturn have yielded significant results for the Ministry of Tourism as air and sea arrivals to Grand Bahama have increased by almost 20 percent.

According to officials the latest numbers reveal that as of March 2010, sea arrivals are up from 44,256 visitors last year to 52,641 passengers this year, an increase of 18.9 percent.

Meanwhile, sea arrivals are up 19.5 percent for the first quarter of the year, representing almost instant cash into the economy.

According to Minister of Public Works and Transport, Neko Grant, this increase has had a positive impact on taxi drivers and tour operators increasing their revenue and has also provided an increase in business for store owners and straw vendors in the Port Lucaya Marketplace and in the International Bazaar.

The total arrivals for air and sea was 65,644 compared to 57,030 an increase of 15.1 percent, Grant said.

Director for Tourism in Grand Bahama, Karen Sey-mour told The Freeport News yesterday that these numbers have been boosted by the "Companion Fly Free" and the "Companion Sail Free" initiatives.

She noted that the cruise liners Discovery and newly introduced Celebration both saw an increase in passengers because of the plan. With three or more nights booked, on land cruise passengers were able to receive a two for the price of one special, Seymour explained adding that the majority of customers come from the East Coast which is the primary source market.

The numbers for air arrivals up until March could be attributed mainly to passengers who utilized the services of West Jet Service which began services to the island in November of last year.

Even with the increase in air arrivals, a second quarter audit may not show favourable numbers as Spirit Airlines discontinued its service between Fort Lauderdale and Freeport as of May 30, 2010.

Spirit had serviced that route since December 2007 and although initially offering daily flights, the carrier's schedule had over time been reduced to twice weekly.

The airline offered connecting service through Spirit's Fort Lauderdale hub from cities on its route network, including New York, Chicago, Atlantic City, Detroit, Washington DC, Boston, Orlando, Tampa as well as Los Angeles, Myrtle Beach and Atlanta.

It was rumoured that government was in negotiations to have this service returned to the island, however tourism officials told The Freeport News yesterday that this was not likely.

From the Our Lucaya Hotel had come the report that the resort was in discussions with Spirit Airlines to target sand and sun destination audiences in the United States that were popular in the past for visitors to the island, including North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio.

Thus far the result of those negotiations has no been released by the hotel.

They Get it in the Bahamas.com

I am a big fan of great marketing efforts, and I wanted to share one that I find to be exemplary. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has one of the most comprehensive and well-targeted integrated marketing efforts I’ve seen, encompassing direct marketing and traditional advertising to create a strong integrated marketing communications program.
To make it even easier for people to remember how to find information online, they use the generic domain name Bahamas.com – it doesn’t really get any better than that. The Bahamas Islands are a brand, and the Ministry of Tourism leverages their brand online nearly flawlessly.
Read the original article here:
They Get it In The Bahamas.com
Please take the time to also read the comments posted under the original article
here's one I cut & Pasted


"Jay Lohmann

June 22nd, 2009 at 3:30 pm
gravatar

Bahamas has been way ahead of the curve since the mid-90s. Our advertising agency worked with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism years ago and they proved themselves to be a very smart bunch. Glad to that they (and their current ad agency) are getting the recognition they deserve for their current efforts.

Their first site:
http://www.tagteamcreative.com/portfolio/hotel-travel.html

J. A. Lohmann
214.679.9673
––––––––––––––
Owner
http://www.InvestInURLs.com
Colorado
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Twitter.com/FreelanceNation"