There is a gaping whole in the tourism product, according to one author, accountant and renowned golfer who says the right mix of golf courses could attract 2.5 million stopovers in two-to-three years.
Foreign air arrivals to The Bahamas were 1.294 million in 2010, comparable to numbers not seen since the mid 1980s, with 2011 looking to close three-to-four percent below 2010, according to a recent statement by the minister of tourism. Lockhart says there is a direct relation to those numbers and the lack of a variety of well-priced golf alternatives, with tourists flying beyond The Bahamas in droves to sate their golfing hunger.
“We are the only destination in the world that’s closed golf courses,” Lockhart said. “We had 17, 18 at our peek period, now we have like 11 or 12.”
