On World Tourism Day - yesterday, September 27 - Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe touted The Bahamas' award of "Top Brand", and lauded the "meteoric turnaround" in The Bahamas' tourism industry from what he reported as a 25-year low four years ago to now the leading destination among English-speaking Caribbean countries. The minister noted that "tourism continues to and will dominate the economic landscape of The Bahamas for the foreseeable future as the principal engine driving our dynamic economic locomotive".
"The meteoric turnaround in this industry, especially in the Family Islands, is a tangible testament to this resilience and this 'no quit' attitude of our partners and stakeholders... On this day, we commit the ministry to advance plans for the diversity of the tourism industry, always mindful to protect our cultural and natural heritage through a strategy of sustainability.
"We must seize the many opportunities tourism presents for greater inter-industrial linkages. With more than six million visitors annually, there is no reason our country should not have a vibrant light manufacturing industry, supplying many of the needs in our hotel industry, such as pillows, pillow cases, sheets, towels and furniture in support of our fledging pine-based lumber industry," Wilchcombe said.
The minister added that the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) provides many opportunities for linkages in the areas of value-added food products, including Bahamian fruit-flavored ice cream and yogurts, dry fruit snacks and coconut water.
"Many of our locally made products should be prominently featured on the menus in our hotels and restaurants and built into the physical plants. Bahamian entrepreneurs must exploit these opportunities," he said, adding that the tourism industry is catalytic in nature, and profoundly impacts every sector of the economy, from food and entertainment to the environment, culture and heritage.
"As we recommit ourselves and our nation to greatness and excellence through sustainability, we reflect on our 2015 theme, fully confident of the power of tourism and travel to positively impact economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction and national development," he said.
The minister was issued an address on United Nations World Tourism Day 2015, under the theme "One billion tourists, one billion opportunities". He noted that the focus of World Tourism Day 2015 is the impact of the tourism sector on economic growth, job creation and development.
Tourism is a people's business
Wilchcombe said the tireless work of airline and cruise line partners; hotel and guest house proprietors and operators; taxi cab and tour bus drivers and operators; straw market entrepreneurs; artisans; retail shop owners and workers and the hospitality of Bahamians generally have embellished and defined The Bahamas brand internationally.
"Working together, they have delivered more than 50 years of unprecedented success. Surely their consistency cannot be understated.
"Tourism is a people's business and the resilient and indomitable spirit of our people remains our greatest asset and the principal reason for our continued growth and development over the years. Many would recall that just four years ago, the performance of our number one industry was at a 25 year low, severely impacted by the global recession. The meteoric turnaround in this industry, especially in the Family Islands, is a tangible testament to this resilience and this 'no quit' attitude of our partners and stakeholders. I thank them again," the minister said.
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