Forbes Charter and Tours President Hadley Forbes said yesterday that although the tourism industry in Grand Bahama seem sluggish, it will begin to experience full recovery once adequate hotel accommodations are provided.
Mr. Forbes, who was the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Lucaya weekly meeting, told Rotarians that even though the industry has been experiencing a ‘dry spell’ since the last three hurricanes, Grand Bahamians are all part of the solution needed to improve tourism on the island.
Tourism in general for The Bahamas, he said, is looking very good; however, improved tourism on Grand Bahama will require concerned leaders in the industry to step up to the plate to provide the accommodations necessary for visitors expected to come here.
“I look forward in the very near future when every one of us will come to the table at some time to decide what role we would like to play in our own economy,” Mr. Forbes said. “Why do we as Bahamians have to wait for somebody to come to our islands to develop it for us when we can do it ourselves. All we need to do is to choose an island in The Bahamas, decide what we want to put on it, go out to various markets of the world, see what they have to offer, pattern after them, come back home and do what you are suppose to do in order to accommodate the people that you want to come and visit you.”
Mr. Forbes explained to Rotarians that the running of a hotel involves money. Getting visitors to come to the island also means money. Therefore, he said those in the tourism industry must strive to have the best merchandise in their stores and the necessary equipment to take tourists around the island so that they can experience first class hotel accommodations and transportation, whether it be air, ground or sea.
“All it takes is sitting around your dinner table and discussing with your brothers and sisters on ways to pool your resources together and watching it increase,” he said. “That is how you start things, by working together. No one individual is an island unto themselves, and if you think that way, you die before you start.”
Mr. Forbes said when he travels the world, he goes seeking to advertise The Bahamas. Most of all, he tries to gather new business for Forbes Charter and Tours. He added that if one does not go out and look for business, do not scorn others like him who bring back business at home. To make matters worse, he said those same people then try to take your business.
“That is not the way it goes, because the hen that lays the egg, owns the egg,” he said.
Sharing his belief on how to get ‘domestic tourism’ to work in the country, Mr. Forbes said everyone knows somebody on every major island of The Bahamas. He said the main problem is that most people look for the big haul at one time.
“We tend to look for someone who is coming for seven nights paying $250 per night as opposed to 10 visitors paying $250 for a 3-day package,” he said. “Instead, we should make a package where people can bring their family, and if they bring their family this year, then next year, they will bring another family along with them.
“Word of mouth sells your product better, just like hot cake. That is the beginning of success. We have to know how to treat people on our way up because we are going to meet those same people on our way down.”
Another thing adversely affecting the tourism industry, he said, is the large number of people who have their hands out for money, but are not providing quality production in the workforce.
By LISA S. KING, Freeport News Reporter
