According to Janet Johnson, deputy director of promotions at the ministry’s New York office: “The companion flies free is an attempt to stimulate the market and get people thinking about the destination.”
Ms Johnson told The Guardian Tuesday that with all the competitors to The Bahamas offering different types of values to attract visitors, the companion-flies-free promotion is a move to maintain interest.
The offer is valid on new bookings to Nassau, Paradise Island and Grand Bahama and applies to two individuals booking a hotel package together. Travel must be booked by Nov. 14 and completed by Feb. 8. Flights will be on US Airways for travelers in the northeast and Gulfstream International Airlines out of Florida. The majority of United States travelers to The Bahamas originate out of the northeast and Florida.
Other promotions being offered by the ministry include the American Express Bahamas Getaway Plan. With this plan, travelers receive a rebate of $75 for staying three nights or more and for four nights or more, they get an additional $75. Travelers who make bookings through American Express agencies also get an additional $150 from American Express.
“So customers can get a cost savings of $300 on their package,” Ms Johnson said.
This promotion follows closely on the worst September/October experienced by the hotel sector in recent years. A frequent complaint by hoteliers recently has been a lack of destination market by the Ministry of Tourism.
The promotion by the ministry earned The Bahamas recognition in the form of an article in Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel, a leading travel magazine in the United States.
Ms Johnson expressed that the Ministry of Tourism was “very pleased and proud” of the article, which she described it as quite a “coup.”
According to Ms Johnson, another objective of the “companion flies free” promotion is to target northeastern travelers who belong to frequent-flier clubs. The aim is to get these people who would ordinarily choose destinations such as Hawaii to redeem their miles, to look at The Bahamas.
Ms Johnson said the ministry will be launching a branding campaign at the end of November. “We’re not only changing the perception of the brand, we’re branding the nation.”
More on this campaign will be released by the Minister of Tourism in the near future, she said. “It’s important that the Bahamian public buys into this new branding concept.”
By Martella Matthews, The Nassau Guardian
