One of the major challenges facing The Bahamas as a tourist destination is meeting visitor expectations, Gary Young, senior director of research and statistics at the Ministry of Tourism said yesterday.
Mr. Young was part of a panel discussion on challenges in the tourism industry, held yesterday afternoon at the week-long Third Annual National Tourism Conference at the Wyndham Nassau Resort on Cable Beach.
He revealed that based on statistics, the number one complaint made by tourists is high prices, followed closely by poor service.
According to Mr. Young, immigration visitor entry and departure cards filled out by 1.7 million visitors also showed that tourists complained about the shops on Bay Street closing too early and that the sales assistants are too pushy.
However, president of The Bahamas Hotel Association, Earle Bethell, updated delegates on what was being done to address deficiencies in the industry.
“We have put on training sessions with the Caribbean Hotel Association,” Mr. Bethell said.
“We have a certification course which is recognised throughout the world. It is of a high standard and it deals with each job category throughout the hotel sector,” he said. “So we are trying to educate our employees that they need to deliver at that high level of service and it’s something that is ongoing.”
Mr. Bethell emphasised that training does not stop after the session is over, but is something that has to be ongoing.
Ambrose Morris, public relations manager of the Bahamas News Bureau at The Ministry of Tourism, explained how Bahamians can get involved in the industry to further enhance the tourist product.
“Even though we have these huge hotels [The Bahamas] is a very small market,” Mr. Morris explained.
“The hotels are importing things that they offer to the guests and the question is how do we turn around and get Bahamians involved in supplying the things they need,” he said. “Someone who is a seamstress and can sew pillowcases, bedspreads and drapes that can be a viable business for [them].”
Mr. Morris added that straw vendors, rather then “fight with” the over crowded Straw Market, they could provide decor for the hotels and entertainment sites.
Tommy Thompson, deputy director general of The Ministry of Tourism, on Wednesday, highlighted the ministry’s goals for 2006, based on its Business Plan.
According to Mr. Thompson, the ministry’s objectives include earning foreign exchange for The Bahamas; providing more employment for Bahamians; ensuring the broadest distribution of income from tourism; and to Bahamianise the tourism industry as far as possible.
Mr. Thompson also pointed to threats in the industry, including complacency, fuel costs and increasing competition.
The conference wraps up on Friday.
By: Royanne Forbes-Darville, The Bahama Journal
