If Grand Bahama tourism is to survive and prosper it needs to get its repeat visitor rate up, tourism executive sammy Gardiner said at the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce Monthly Business Luncheon this week.
Mr. Gardiner, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism senior director, revealed that in 2003 the first time visitor rate was up 43.2 per cent and repeat visitor rate was 62.9 per cent in Grand Bahama.
Stressing tourism is one of the fastest growing businesses in the world, he noted that the World Tourism Organixation forecast that the number of persons travelling internationally will increase to 1.6 billion by the year 2020.
Additionally it predicts that earnings will soar to more than $2 trillion in 2020.
He said that National Tourism Conference, which was held this year in New Providence, will be held next year in Grand Bahama brining tourist partners together in an effort to develop new strategies, ideas and ways for increasing tourist arrivals to the country.
Mr. Gardiner said tourism creates jobs, foreign exchange and entrepreneurial opportunities in the Bahamas.
He noted that for every hotel room one to two jobs are created directly or indirectly. A 200-room hotel can translate into 400 jobs and he said US currency is prevalent throughout the Bahamas.
According to Mr. Gardiner tourism involves at least 50 per cent of all jobs in Grand Bahama.
Today the top five world leaders in tourism are France with 50.2 million visitors; United States 36.6 million; Spain with 35.4 million; Italy with 29.9 million; and the UK with 17.3 million.
“Many predict tourism to be the single most important industry globally,” Mr. Gardiner said.
The return rate for visitors in 2003 was 55.6 per cent for the Bahamas.
Mr. Gardiner warned that Bahamians have to be very cautious and careful about how they treat guests. He said the main reason given by visitors not likely to return was high prices.
Source: Denise Maycock, The Tribune
