Bahamas readying for the "inevitable global economic recovery" - Ingraham

One of the highlights is a major redevelopment of the Lynden Pindling International Airport – part of a US $410 million, three-phased upgrade and expansion project.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas, Wednesday January 25, 2012 – The prime minister of the Bahamas sees signs of "recovery and return to sustained growth for tourism in our region."

Speaking to more than a thousand attendees of the Caribbean Marketplace, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham saw "early signs of improvement are evident" with "a robust uptick in arrivals since November last. By a number of measures, this past December was particularly good for the 14 major Nassau and Paradise Island hotels."

For the second year in a row "since the Great Recession," the Bahamian leader reported "room occupancies, average daily rates and room rates were up last year. Perhaps most encouraging has been that visitors are spending longer periods with us and reporting improved levels of customer satisfaction."

The prime minister told the opening session of the 30th Caribbean Marketplace, at the Atlantis resort, some of the increases were due to "aggressive action to revamp our product during the slowdown so as to be better prepared to benefit from the recovery as it occurs."

The Bahamas focused on readying for the "inevitable global economic recovery as it occurs," said Prime Minister Ingraham, adding, "our economy is therefore the beneficiary of the most comprehensive upgrade and expansion in our history."
 
One of the highlights is a major redevelopment of the Lynden Pindling International Airport – part of a US $410 million, three-phased upgrade and expansion project.
 
The first phase, a new US Departure Terminal, was completed and opened last March. The second phase is moving toward an on-schedule completion in October. The complete redevelopment should be fully open and operational by December 2013.
 

BAHAMAS TO SUBDIVIDE TOURISM ASSETS

Tourism Minister Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, positing "Bahamas is a region", announced a plan to divide the archipelago into 16 discrete tourism regions.

The minister asserted "islands foment subcultures" and told reporters he wanted to highlight the discrete charms of the different sub-regions all of which attracted a diverse array of interests from films to weddings, marine activities and others.

Upon completion, the minister reported the new multi-million dollar airport would help efficiently connect visitors to all of the 16 regions.

With dozens of airports across the country, he said the Bahamas was well placed to deal with a redistribution of the country's visitors.
 

KEEP UP OPPOSITION TO APD, URGE TOURISM CHIEFS

The leadership of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) called on the media to maintain pressure on the British government to repeal its controversial Airline Passenger Duty (APD) which was damaging the economies of the region's countries.

Joseph Forstmayr of Jamaica, the association's president, contended the tax had reduced the number of British visitors to the Caribbean by some 90,000 a year in contrast to other European countries without such levies.

Economic damage leveled by the tax on the islands was even more damaging because UK visitors stayed between 10 and 14 days in the Caribbean, which Forstmayr added was a considerable amount of revenue lost to regional communities and businesses.

Forstmayr belittled "all types of British development programs because nothing builds economies like tourism".

Declaring "there is no better development instrument than tourism," Forstmayr exhorted the UK to "send us your visitors."

Alec Sanguinetti, Director General and CEO of the CHTA, agreed none of the British Government's aid programs in the region approached the value of tourism to local economies. He called for innovative ways of protesting the punitive UK taxes such as slogans on Caribbean athletes competing in the Olympics in London this summer.


BRIDAL MARKET IS BIG BUSINESS
 
Hitching to the seemingly recession-proof bridal market links resorts and destinations to a constant flow of new opportunities, vows Caribbean weddings expert Jacqueline Johnson, president and CEO of MarryCaribbean.com.

"It is a year-round business ... and with the steady increase of destination weddings and the close proximity of the Caribbean, destinations with a strategic (approach) will benefit from this 'perfect customer'," Johnson said.

MarryCaribbean.com reports the 'perfect customer', a bride and family looking for the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ event, heavily outspends the average leisure traveler. To engage productively with the bridal market, Johnson recommends the framing of a strategic approach to marketing, including the use of social media.

According to the 2012 US Wedding Market Insight Report, June and September are the most in-demand months for weddings. In addition, more couples will attend wedding/bridal show/events; and bright, bold and vibrant tones are still in. Couples want fun, romantic and simple events, with a touch of formal and tradition. Rustic and vintage settings continue to be in high demand with couples headed for the altar.

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