“Filthy, disgusting and expensive” were the words used to describe The Bahamas by American travelers who wrote the prestigious travel magazine Budget Travel.
The Guardian came across an article under the heading ‘Bahamarama’ published on Tuesday Jan. 14th in Budget Travel, where vacationers were asked to describe their stay in The Bahamas, although most of them stayed at hotels in New Providence.
One of the persons writing to the magazine was a travel agent, who although enjoying a stay at Atlantis, would never recommend it to a client.
He said: “I would never, ever send a client to The Bahamas. It is the most disgusting, filthy, foul- smelling, poverty-stricken place I have ever seen in my whole life. Nothing like the pictures!”
One person advised readers to “take lots of money,” after his trip to Paradise Island during last month’s Thanksgiving weekend.
“We have been to most of the Caribbean islands and have never seen prices and costs so high anywhere,” he complained, further explaining that he paid $320 per week on car rental, $5.75 for a beer and $3.95 for a weekend edition of USA Today.
While others may think Bahamians are hospitable, another vacationer said Bahamians were only out for the big tips.
“We became aware very quickly that the Bahamians tolerated us in varying degrees while their eyes were really on our money. Some of them barely concealed their hostility and others were just indifferent,” the vacationer reportedly said, before stating that he would never return to the island.
These complaints came on the heels of Director General of Tourism Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace’s remarks at the 12th annual Bahamas Business Outlook Conference Monday.
On Monday, at the opening of the conference at Radisson Cable Beach Resort, Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace urged The Bahamas to become more competitive if it wants to reach its full potential.
There is no shortage of ideas, Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace said in regard to what is being done in the country, but the fault lies in the inability of Bahamians to execute such ideas.
“The fact of the matter is if we don’t execute, we are not going to be successful. We have this recurring habit in The Bahamas of not using all the talent available to us, and beyond our industry, there are many people who can help us in the tourism industry, but we have this insularity that prevents us from doing so,” he said.
The Guardian attempted to speak with Mr. Vanderpoll-Wallace, but was unsuccessful.
However, there were some persons who wrote to the magazine and pointed out The Bahamas’ “azure sky and turquoise seas.”
One vacationer remembered his stay in Freeport, Grand Bahama 15 years ago as an island for great eateries, Bahamian entertainment, “friendly locals” and gorgeous women.
Meanwhile, Florida-based Discover Air was forced to discontinue its flights to Nassau from Key West after “the demand wasn’t large enough,” Director of Operations Tommy Barraza told The Guardian Tuesday.
Although the Sept. 11 aftermath did have some effect, he said, the demand was starting but it wasn’t enough to sustain the routes. Tickets were sold at $99 each way from Key West to Nassau three times a week.
However, the airline will continue private charter services for the Wyndam Nassau Resort and Crystal Palace Casino.
The Nassau Guardian
