Bahamians have allowed the tourism product to deteriorate, through lack of attention and lack of maintenance, said Caribbean Tourism Chairman Obie Wilchcombe in a weekend interview with the Bahama Journal.
The Tourism Minister charged that as the world continues to improve its product, working on attracting more than 600 billion tourists who travel worldwide each year, “we have simply rested on our laurels.”
The country has not “moved with the times,” he said, because the things that need to be improved upon in the industry are not “set,” “fine tuned” and “tweaked.”
He questioned why New Providence has not moved to a point where there are more things for tourists to do.
“We have neglected entertainment. We have neglected the presentation of our culture. We have not given the attention that was required for maintenance of our dock facilities, of our airport. We have not done more to Bay Street . So we have not paid attention to the areas and the things that are not significantly important to tourism,” Mr. Wilchcombe said.
While the 25th Caribbean Conference in Grand Bahama focuses on “Re-Inventing Caribbean Tourism,” The Bahamas specifically needs to refocus rather than re-invent its tourism structure, he told the Bahama Journal.
“As we refocus on it, we will begin to appreciate that for the most part, we have allowed the product to deteriorate,” Mr. Wilchcombe said.
“Whether it’s in the capital city or in Grand Bahama or throughout our Family Islands , our first obligation is to refocus – recognize the things that are wrong in an industry we tout as our number one industry.”
“We are regarded by Caribbean countries as a leader in tourism but, countries are coming. They are on our heels. They are working assiduously to develop their product. We cannot ignore the fact that tourism is our lifeline. It is the blood of the Bahamas . It fuels the economy and we cannot ignore it.”
Once the product is improved, The Ministry plans to pursue an aggressive marketing effort. he campaign’s mission will be to advise the world community and the travelling public that the Bahamas has a unique product.
Minister Wilchcombe called the archipelago a “special brand,” a “unique product,” and a “very special destination”.
“We have always been successful in tourism, and because of our proximity and our blessings from God we have benefited significantly,” he said.
The key to improving the product in the future: Refocus, reorganize and execute, Mr. Wilchcombe said.
A producer filming a James Bond movie in the Bahamas once said The Bahamas is such a unique country – you do not have to create it, all you have to do is capture it.
“We have it all here,” Mr. Wilchcombe said. “We just have not captured it and presented it in a consistent basis. We have not paid the attention that is required to ensure that you have a unique brand and a unique quality.”
Mr. Wilchcombe said the entire world community was lost for a moment after September 11, 2001, and the countries that depend on tourism appreciated more than ever, that any incident could cause a major destruction of your economy.
“Thank God that we have to some degree developed our product and tourists began to come to our country,” he said.
The Minister reports that today, arrivals are 1 percent higher than they were at this period last year.
The Ministry of Tourism, he said, is working feverishly and with a sense of urgency to improve its product.
The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) chose the nation’s second city as its venue for the 25th annual CTO Conference.
The conference, which runs from October 28 to 31, brings together tourism professionals from across the region and abroad to discuss issues affecting the regional industry.
More than 800 delegates are in attendance. Magazines such as “The New Yorker” and “Golf Women” and about 70 other media houses around the world are covering the event.
By Felicity Delancy, The Bahama Journal
