The national airline of The Bahamas is once again making it easier for Bahamians to support who many consider the national team of The Bahamas, as far as American football is concerned.
For the third straight year, Bahamasair is partnering with The Bahamas Tourist Office in Miami, Fla. and the Miami Dolphins to create an exciting game experience for Bahamian football fans. This past Sunday, the Dolphins easily handled one of their rivals, the New England Patriots, 33-20, at Sun Life Stadium, in Miami. Quite a number of Bahamians were on-hand to take in the experience.
A couple of discounted packages created solely for the football fanatics give subscribers, Dolphins fans or not, an exciting game experience.
In the first package, priced at just $299, football fans can get round-trip airfare to South Florida and a rental car. That price is available for Saturday and Sunday travel - the day of the actual game. In the second package being offered, a minimum of five airfare tickets would have to be purchased. Customers could pre-buy those tickets for $240.50 each, which will include airfare and accommodations. Senior Manager for International Sales for Bahamasair Holdings Ltd. Woodrow Wilson said that it is a win-win deal for all involved.
"These are some great deals. For us, it's a matter of trying to fill seats, and at the same time, promote the destination. For Dolphins fans and even the ones who are not fans of the Dolphins, it's a tremendous football experience at discounted rates," said Wilson. "Every year, we know that there are a number of Bahamians who come over to the games and, when they come over, we want them to fly Bahamasair. There are quite a few season ticket holders for the Dolphins games who live in The Bahamas, so we decided to offer them something special. We are just letting our season ticket holders know that we appreciate their business. It's been wonderful so far, and we hope that it carries over into the rest of the season."
Ryan Antonio, a long-time Dolphins fan, said that what Bahamasair is offering is a great thing for football fans all over The Bahamas. He has frequented Miami Dolphins games for the past 15 years.
"Every time I come over here, I have a fabulous time. And now, with Bahamasair offering this special promotion, it makes it even sweeter," said Antonio. "Hanging out with the guys here and doing the tailgating has always been tremendous, but it's always better when we (Dolphins) win. Win or lose, we enjoy our time here, but winning makes it that much more sweeter. Beating the Patriots today, a divisional rival, was fantastic!
"I have to applaud Bahamasair for the effort. It's great for Bahamian Dolphins fans, great for football fans, in general, and great for business for Bahamasair. To be able to come over here and see the games at reduced prices, what they are doing is actually maximizing the market. On top of that, the Dolphins is the team of The Bahamas, so I'm sure that Bahamians will embrace these fantastic prices. Hats off to Bahamasair. For them to make that opportunity for us to come here and cheer for our team is just fantastic. I hope they continue with it."
In addition to the game itself, fans can also enjoy a Bahamasair tailgate experience, complete with delicious delicacies and mouth-watering drinks. As for the game itself, there was a "Bahamas Day" during one of the home games last season in which the islands of The Bahamas received special promotion. There were pamphlets, flyers and hand-outs promoting the islands of The Bahamas at the stadium that day.
"This deal was actually put together a few years ago to really reach out to the Bahamian Miami Dolphins fan base," said Wilson. "When you look at it, you have this tailgating social outside, and then on the inside there is the actual game."
Round-trip airfare to South Florida during football season sometimes escalates to more than $300. Now, with Bahamasair making these packages available for every home game this season, more and more Bahamians are expected to find it feasible to make the sacrifice to travel for the games, and even to do a little bit of shopping.
"This really caught on last year, and we expect an even bigger attraction this year," said Wilson. "We just want Bahamians to know that there are special packages available where they could come over for a day or two, watch the games and shop while they are at it. Also, the Ministry of Tourism is promoting the whole concept of fans over here visiting us in The Bahamas with the various advertisements that they have during the games, in the stadium, and Bahamasair is trying to create a synergy between the destination and the carrier. We are happy to be on-board because we want them to think that when they decide to take that trip to The Bahamas, to use Bahamasair."
Earl Miller, general manager of The Bahamas' Tourist Office in Miami, said that the whole ordeal is a tremendous experience and a tremendous package. During time-outs of Dolphins home games, advertisements promoting the islands of The Bahamas can be seen over the huge jumbo screen in Sun Life Stadium. Miller said that it's all in an effort to reach out to the thousands of fans in the stadium, inviting them to come to The Bahamas.
"This is just a small portion of what we are doing," said Miller. "Our partnership in the Miami area started with the Dolphins a few years ago. Then the Miami Heat came on-board and now we are reaching out to the Florida Panthers and the Miami Marlins. The whole idea is to energize the fans here, especially the ones who are in the stadium, with all of the work that we are doing in there. Inside the stadium [during the games] there is a formal set-up where we are able to offer information on the islands of The Bahamas. We want to let them know that the islands of The Bahamas is just minutes away, so we want them to take advantage of the packages that are available. We are just opening an avenue for them," he added.
Already, the Miami Dolphins fraternity has ventured to The Bahamas. Each year, there is a featured Dan Marino Legends tournament in The Bahamas, whether it be golf or fishing. Also introduced this year was a Miami Dolphins football camp that was orchestrated by Dolphins' legendary quarterback, Marino, and a few of his friends, all former players of the National Football League (NFL) team from South Florida.

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