Speaking at the Thirteenth Annual Business Outlook Conference, Tourism Director General Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace said that with the assistance of the Caribbean Advanced Technology Centre (CATC), his organisation hopes to develop a level of service that would be envied and copied by rival destinations.
The CATC is a joint venture between the Ministry of Tourism and Indusa LLC, an information systems service firm based in Atlanta, Georgia .
In a press conference held unveling the new technology in October, 2003, the Ministry of Tourism outlined that the initial aim of the technology for The Bahamas was the processing of Bahamas immigration cards to provide immigration search capabilities and tourism reporting. The technology, which would provide specific information on travelers down to the zip code in which they live, would be used to enhance customer services and develop specific marketing strategies to further build the country’s tourism business.
On Tuesday, Mr Vanderpool-Wallace told the business meeting that the technology of tourism is an industry with worldwide applications, especially given the fact that international travel is quickly becoming the world’s largest and fastest growing global industry.
“I know that we have a number of problems to solve in our existing twin pillars,” Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace said. “But there is no need to try to solve all of those problems before we embark on the development of this third pillar. If we develop these services and sell them to the rest of the world and if we get the necessary talent to assist us in developing these technologies, I promise you that we will have added a third pillar that can eventually rival the others in size.
“In a world moving toward services, our twin pillars are two of the most service-oriented industries on earth,” Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace said. “Our premise, which has been accelerated by our Minister, is that if we develop these things for ourselves, they will be seen and copied by others. So, why not sell these services to even our competitors once we have tested and installed these services?”
He continued: “Some of what we are offering is already being extraordinarily well-received in our region and indeed in some places in the United States. Again, I remind you that this is not something that we are thinking about doing, this is something that has already begun.”
There was, however, Mr Vanderpool-Wallace said,
“a catch” to the idea, in that working alone Bahamians may not be able to see it through. “It is entirely possible that we do not have all the technological skills in The Bahamas that will be required for these developments,” he acknowledged.
Using the example of overseas territories such as the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, and developed countries such as the United States and Canada, Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace said that they all imported the foreign expertise needed. “They import the talent that they need, especially for the financial services sector in order to attain the standard of living that they now enjoy…”
According to the director general, “The United States is little more than the ‘robber baron’ of global talent that they allow to come into the United States, wrap them in the American flag and call them Americans.”
He said that at some point, “home grown talent” is not enough to maintain the desired growth of an economy, creating the need to provide a “nurturing gathering space for people with the best talent for a particular endeavour.”
“We constantly remind people who confuse xenophobia with patriotism and nationalism that our economy thrives on serving the needs of foreigners. And our economy was jumpstarted many times in the past by many who we would regard today as foreigners,” Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace said.
Despite the difficulties experienced in 2003, he said, final figures will show that The Bahamas exceeded the 4.5 million visitor threshold for the first time. He cautioned however that the growing number of travelers choosing the option of cruise travel to The Bahamas over a land-based vacation could adversely affect the economy.
“We are seeing the transfer of business from stopover visitors to cruise visitors. This does not bode well for our economy,” he cautioned.
Martella Matthews, The Nassau Guardian
