The Bahamas Tourist Office in conjunction with the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board, recently hosted successful Travel Agent Seminars in the northern U.S. cities of Newark and Philadelphia, where in spite of record chilly temperatures plaguing America’s eastern seaboard, travel agents packed the room at both venues. Winter weary agents were told about the sun, fun, adventure and excitement of The Islands Of The Bahamas and Grand Bahama Island in particular. Also about the ease, convenience, and affordability of traveling to the tropical destination.
The seminars were mostly a joint effort to shed awareness of the Vacation Express Grand Bahama 2015 Summer Program which offers direct and non-stop, round trip air, (using Sunwng’s 737 - 800 series aircraft with 189 seats), 4 night accommodations, airport transfers and in some cases all-inclusive packages (including meals and drinks).
In addition to information on the Vacation Express Program, Grand Bahama Sales Executive, Sanique Culmer, provided detailed information for the agents on the many other means of escaping the cold weather and traveling to Grand Bahama, including connecting flights, cruises, and fast ferries. Wendall Saunders shared information on the myriads of exciting and adventurous activities on the Island, including, swimming in the ocean with dolphins, horseback riding through shallow waters, exploring caves and discovering some of the world's most beautiful beaches.
This is the second year that Vacation Express is offering a Grand Bahama Summer Program to 8 cities across the U.S. The Program, which begins in May in New Jersey and August in Philadelphia, ends in both cities in October. Other cities that are a part of the 2015 program include, Cincinnati, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Houston and Nashville.
"The impressive turnout of agents in both Newark and Philadelphia, is indicative of the fact that people are looking for ways to escape the cold weather in the North, and we are happy that we were able to present timely information to our agents to help them assist their clients, who are looking for a winter getaway," said Mrs Valery Brown-Alce, Senior Director, Global Sales for The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.
A Bahamas Ministry of Tourism team and partners will be continuing the series of Travel Agent Seminar-Trade Shows and PR Missions, across the U.S over the next few weeks. At the dinner events in each of the cities, travel agents are given information on Grand Bahama and The Bahamas, and the opportunity to communicate one-on-one with Bahamas representatives, hoteliers and tour operator partners. Agents are also entered at the event to win prizes including a grand prize trip to Grand Bahama. Simultaneous with the Travel Agent events, a Bahamas Tourism PR team is meeting with media outlets in the area (newspapers, magazines, radio and television) in an effort to get the word out to the consumers.
Team members that travelled to Newark and Philadelphia included, Mrs. Valery Brown-Alce; Mrs. Jennifer Gardiner-Bannister, Area Manager, Mid-Atlantic Region; Dornell Watson-Dean, Sr Manager, Business Development; Edward Archer, General Manager, GA; Jeannie Gibson, Manager, Communications; Mikala Moss, Sanique Culmer, and Wendall Saunders, Ministry of Tourism Grand Bahama, and Donna Munroe, Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board.
For detailed information on Vacation Express, visit www.vacationexpress.com/grandbahama
Photo New Jersey- Left to right- Sharon Lee Flynn, Donna Munroe, Gloria Riller, Sandy Neske, Tom Gementgis and Jennifer Gardiner Bannister
Photo Philadelphia: Left to right - Vera Primus -VEP Associates Travel; Dornel Watson Dean; Herman Harris - Impulse 2 Travel and Donna Munroe.
