Miami, Florida - Bahamasair, in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism and The Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board, put together a splendid package for hundreds of Bahamians to enjoy a truly fantastic sports spectacle this past weekend. For discounted package deals, Bahamians got to enjoy the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, and the National Football League (NFL) regular season game between the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders.
Both games were played at Sun Life Stadium - the NCAA game on Saturday at 12 noon, and the NFL game on Sunday at 1 p.m. "It was a big football weekend. It presented the perfect opportunity for Bahamasair to drive the business as opposed to just waiting for business to come," said Woodrow Wilson, senior manager for international sales for Bahamasair Holdings Ltd. "There are so much sports enthusiasts in The Bahamas and we wanted to tap into that. "With the college game, we thought that was meaningful because there is a large Bethune-Cookman alumni group in The Bahamas, and with the pro game, there are so many Dolphins fans in The Bahamas.
The whole idea was to make sure we give Bahamians an opportunity to come over, have a good time and enjoy the games. That's one of the reasons why we got involved with the tailgate side of it - we wanted to give back to those who support Bahamasair." Bahamasair's tailgating party at both games was the main attraction. There, employees of the national flag carrier handed out reduced tickets for the actual games, airline tickets, and a number of trinkets and giveaways with Bahamasair's logo on them.
Wilson said that they are hoping to have an annual event with each first Dolphins' home game of the season. As for this season, they have put together a special package for each Dolphins' home game. The Dolphins will play at home again on Sunday, as they will host the New York Jets. "We had a pretty good response this weekend," said Wilson. "Most of the flights came in heavy. Hotels were booked solid.
Hopefully, the Bahamian fans will go back and talk about the experience they had so we could continue to grow this," he added. Wilson said that an event such as the one this past weekend requires a lot of forward planning, and that is the one area where they could make some inroads moving forward. "We need like a 90-day lead time on this. That way people can plan ahead, and that's what we want to accomplish," he said.
"Also, we want to take advantage of the many Bahamians who live here - have them promote The Bahamas for us. People look forward to the Bahamian delegation coming every year, and Bahamians who live here in Florida can assist with their arrival and make them feel welcomed." As mentioned, Bahamasair's tailgating parties helped set the tone for the weekend.
They were just a part of many Bahamian tailgate parties that occurred outside of Sun Life Stadium this past weekend though. In addition, Bahamasair also staged a welcome reception for Bahamians on Saturday night at the Staybridge Suites Hotel in Plantation, Florida. Wilson is encouraging all Bahamian sporting enthusiasts to get involved with what they are doing in the promotion of The Bahamas through sports, and also take time out to enjoy football, and sports in general, in South Florida.
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