Visionary leaps of faith, bold strategy, and providence have collectively laid the foundation for unprecedented growth and an undeniable record of resilience and reinvention in Bahamian tourism.
The seeds were planted long ago for the successes achieved, to date, and the many lessons learned along the way.
The architects of tourism believed in the potential that the sector held to raise the standard of living for Bahamians, advance economic development, and create a distinct competitive advantage for a nation destined to make the world take notice.
One of the fastest growing industries in the world, tourism accounts for 50 percent of The Bahamas' gross domestic product (GDP).
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted in its 2022 Article IV Consultation on The Bahamas that the country is "experiencing a tourism-led rebound".
In 2022, there were more than seven million visitors to The Bahamas, evidence of a healthy turnaround since the COVID-19 pandemic caused a severe, but temporary, disruption.
In an encouraging indicator, almost one million tourists flocked to the country in January 2023 alone and officials are projecting another banner year.
"The Bahamas is a classic example of what can happen in an economy, and particularly in tourism, when the government, private sector interests and the populace all work together. Tourism is multifaceted; it touches all aspects of our national life," said Sir Baltron Bethel, reflecting on the industry's transformational impact.
Sir Baltron gleaned unique insights, having helped to lead and shape tourism development in The Bahamas through key roles, as the first Bahamian and longest serving director general of tourism, the managing director of the former Hotel Corporation of The Bahamas, and consultant and senior policy advisor for the government over 39 consecutive years.
The road to The Bahamas becoming one of the most sought-after destinations in the world has not been easy, nevertheless, the will to adapt and innovate has been strong.
Planting seeds for a harvest
From as far back as 1740, as a British colony, The Bahamas was attracting visitors from Canada and the United States (US), longing to escape their cold, harsh climates.
By the mid-1850s, the government began to actively promote tourism and deliberately attract visitors, negotiate contracts with shipping companies to provide regular service to the islands and finance the construction of hotels like the Royal Victoria in Nassau.
In the late 1800s, just over 500 tourists to The Bahamas were recorded, a far cry from today's millions. However, it was an early sign of future capacity.
In the 1920s and 1930s, there was a concentrated effort to expand room inventory. Among the major new hotels were the New Colonial, and Fort Montagu in Nassau. When arrivals climbed to almost 60,000 in 1938, it was another positive sign.
By the 1960s, the clear objective was to grow The Bahamas into a distinctly branded and thriving destination for visitors year-round.
The Promotion of Tourism Act that came into force in January 1964, ushered in major changes that combined both structure and strategy, a vision credited to Sir Stafford Sands.
Under the act, the Development Board gave way to the Ministry of Tourism with Sir Stafford as its first minister.
The act anchored an improved administration of the industry, paved the way for the development of additional tourism facilities and gave the minister responsible for tourism a substantial degree of autonomy to advertise The Bahamas as a tourism destination.
Around the same time, the US imposed a trade embargo against Cuba, a once thriving vacation destination. With The Bahamas less an hour away from Miami, Florida, by plane, and not many other competing destinations in the region, the islands became the natural choice for vacationers.
Bold moves and strategy
By the time the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) took over the reins of governance, and advocacy for independence kicked into high gear, The Bahamas' economy was no longer fledgling.
In 1973, total air and sea arrivals were recorded at 1.5 million and remained above one million in subsequent years until the 1980s when it exceeded two million, according to figures from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.
When total arrivals first hit the million mark, PLP Leader Prime Minister Lynden O. Pindling was serving as the minister of tourism.
A report from the Economic Commission for Latin America, dated May 2, 1975, documented total annual visitor expenditure at B$180 million in 1968. It was B$285 million in 1997, according to the report.
With the transition to new nationhood, the Bahamian identity still had to be defined, so placing tourism squarely at the center of the economy was not done in a vacuum.
In a shifting balance of political, social and economic power, the simultaneous focus on education and Bahamianization was to ensure that Bahamians developed the skills and served in roles that, to a large degree, were held by white expatriates.
In tourism, for instance, this philosophy hastened personnel changes that happened in overseas Bahamas tourism offices, integral to marketing and promoting the islands, Sir Baltron revealed.
The next steps involved leveraging the reach and connections of these offices to increase the country's market share.
"It entailed the expansion of the network of tourism offices across the United States, Canada and United Kingdom in places like London, Frankfurt, Paris, and Milan, supported by a year-round vigorous promotion and targeted marketing programs," he shared.
"There was a strong relationship established with the airlines and cruise lines, tour operators, wholesalers, travel agents, incentive houses, meeting planners, hotel chains, and we entered into multiple arrangements with them for the supply of tourist traffic."
Increasing capacity in this and other key areas began to pay off. Soon, "world-famous" became the brand for key representations of Bahamian culture like the Bay Street Straw Market and the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band. This happened as authentic stories were woven into promotions. Tourism arrivals surged.
Ministry of Tourism officials learned early on that having a strong presence at gatherings could place the country front and center with potential future visitors and the groups that could bring them in was crucial.
This meant attending travel and trade shows, advertising on airlines and cruise lines, connecting with representatives of yachting, diving, private flying and bridal associations and myriad other groups for events and conferences. The aim was for everything to be carefully planned and executed.
Service, not servitude
Beyond sun, sand, and sea, however, the Bahamian people have always been at the core of the tourism product and a principal factor in its marketing and branding.
Tourists are attracted to a destination by what it offers - a warm, hospitable and inviting spirit plus excellent service that often cement the experience as a memorable one that they long to repeat.
Over the years, taking the industry to new heights of success meant facing harsh realities.
As the industry evolved, feedback from visitors revealed that there was an unsettling level of dissatisfaction about tourism service. Aspiring to be the best in tourism required periodically evaluating the tourism experience and making changes where necessary.
At one point, even Prime Minister Pindling modeled the professionalism that was needed to support the main driver of the economy.
On his first day on the job as the minister of tourism, he put on a bellman's uniform, greeted guests at Resorts Paradise Towers and carted their luggage to and from hotel rooms. At the time, veteran hotelier Robert "Sandy" Sands was working at Nassau Beach Hotel.
"He wanted to show that service was a good thing and not servitude," said Sands.
"You needed people that you can look up to. The message that was being sent is that even I could do this job and I'm proud to do this particular job because of the impact that it would have not only on myself, but, more importantly, on the overall Bahamas and that was to shape the work ethic, attitude and respect for the job."
It was a message that resonated with Sands - a veteran hotelier - who today serves as president of the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association and the senior vice president of administration and external relations at Baha Mar, one of the largest resort properties in The Bahamas.
Quality matters
Over time, it became evident that increasing tourism numbers could no longer be the cardinal objective, especially if the industry was to truly flourish.
As officials began to assess growth and prospects, attracting tourists who would spend more became a core priority.
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, who left the Ministry of Education for the Ministry of Tourism, not only witnessed this pivot, but was a part of it.
"And at the end of the day, tourism is an economic development tool and the notion of just simply counting heads as opposed to counting economic benefits, was something that we certainly learned very quickly not to do," said Vanderpool-Wallace, who eventually succeeded Sir Baltron as the director general of tourism.
"We were looking at numbers that were growing, but in terms of the
expenditure, which is the most important part of the purpose of being in tourism, that wasn't going anywhere near the kind of rate that it should have been."
Soon, surveys provided insights that mere numbers could not. The ministry's first piece of research on the attitudes of Bahamians toward tourism yielded inescapable truths and stirred officials to action.
"One of the things we found, which we were embarrassed by, was that if you asked parents if you have a very bright, capable and energetic child, would you like them to work in tourism — only 17 percent said yes; and so that's when we started the campaign of going after the best and brightest to come and work in the industry because you cannot function to the degree you wish to function if people are avoiding the sector," Vanderpool-Wallace explained.
In response, a mission statement was developed and a full-fledged television campaign was launched showing how broadly tourism impacted everyone, even food store cashiers and service station attendants.
The hope was that with an increasing awareness of how vitally important the sector was, not only would it attract the best and brightest, but improve the tourism experience. It was important to keep this message front of mind for Bahamians.
Future focused
These collective efforts have reaped tremendous rewards.
However, tourism officials say they are determined not to rest on their laurels as new challenges and opportunities emerge.
Indications of a rebound are especially encouraging in light of the havoc that the COVID-19 pandemic caused in the industry.
In the House of Assembly on March 18, 2020, then-Minister of Tourism Dionisio D'Aguilar made a chilling declaration: "The simple, yet, inconceivable reality we all need to grasp is that there will be no tourists," he said.
Today, the clarion message remains that tourism impacts virtually every sector and citizen.
Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation Chester Cooper said tourism is a tool for economic growth, revitalization, and innovation.
"As I told a recent forum, more visitors mean more economic activity, and more taxes that the government collects, keeping us on track with our fiscal plans to ultimately end deficit spending," said Cooper during his contribution to the debate on the Mid-Year Budget in the House of Assembly earlier this year.
"More visitors mean more jobs that create spending and more business opportunities that create wealth. More jobs for straw vendors, taxi drivers and tour guides."
Nonetheless, the ministry can ill-afford to rest easy and expect the momentum of growth to sustain itself.
Although new flights to The Bahamas were added last year and visitor arrivals are climbing, new routes are being added this year.
The government plans to transform aviation infrastructure and develop 14 Family Island airports, a projected investment of over $260 million.
Strategists are planning for long-term implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically using AI to identify prospective tourists and use tailored marketing to persuade them to act on their plans to visit The Bahamas.
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