The Ministry of Tourism is aggressively pursuing strategic partnerships with Florida gateways in an effort to drive greater traffic into The Bahamas.  The 2012 plan also includes courting major carriers to introduce new routes for the busy winter season.  At the heart of the initiative is Orlando International Airport. Already a major gateway to The Bahamas, officials hope to fuel more traffic through this hub.

"Some carriers we feel are under-serviced and we have interest from a number of them to build Orlando as an international gateway, feeding more business from Latin America and Asia," David Johnson, the director general at the Ministry of Tourism, said. "We are giving this gateway a lot of attention."

While enticing airlines from further afield, Johnson added there is also a focus on U.S. carriers.
In particular, he identified United Airlines as one carrier that "we want to get into The Bahamas in a much bigger way". Johnson couldn't go into details on other strategic partnerships with airlines because they were still in the negotiation phase.

"But I can tell you there is another player that is seeking to create a hub in Orlando that will feed The Bahamas. We believe that it will benefit a number of destinations in the country, including Eleuthera, Abaco, Grand Bahama and New Providence," he told Guardian Business.  He hinted that while the airline is not new to The Bahamas, the new service from Orlando would provide a boost for air arrivals in 2012.

"We're talking about service that will aid multiple destinations," he added.  Meanwhile, Johnson told Guardian Business another strategic partnership now in the early stages of development is in Port Canaveral. He said the Ministry of Tourism has spent a great deal of time negotiating with cruise lines and entering into long-term agreements. Indeed, the cruise industry has proven to be a key driver of arrivals, representing a rise of 5.6 percent in 2011 compared to the previous year.

In keeping with a market trend demanding multiple and diverse stopovers, Johnson said a partnership between Port Canaveral is quite natural. While The Bahamas offers pristine beaches and relaxation, the stop in Florida gives tourists the opportunity to explore the world-famous attraction Disney World.

"We're focusing on an itinerary that focuses on both Disney and The Bahamas," he explained. "That is very attractive. It's an early initiative, but we've already had them into Grand Bahama to develop the relationship."  The focus on Grand Bahama rather than New Providence is expected to jump start its struggling economy. It also provides a high level of convenience for stakeholders given Grand Bahama's close proximity to the U.S.  In 2011, Grand Bahama saw an impressive 41 percent jump in cruise ship arrivals compared to the previous year.

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