Some 12.15 per cent of stopover visitors to the Bahamas during 2002 were dissatisfied with their vacation experience, the minister of tourism revealed, citing “major concerns”over whether the rise in tourist expenditure and expectations was being matched by the reality on the ground.
Obie Wilchcombe, in his Budget Communication to the House of Assembly, said the statistics meant that some 60,000 stopover visitors to The Bahamas annually were not happy with their vacation experience, meaning this nation would lose potential business because they were unlikely to return again as stopover visitors or recommend this nation to friends and relatives.
He added that among the leading complaints from dissatisfied visitors were bad attitudes and harrassment, poor service, high prices, litter and lack of activities.
Mr. Wilchcombe said: “Why does this matter? because the customer’s share of voice is our most effective media tool in attracting a greater volume of high yield hotel visitors to the Bahamas. In the very simplest terms, the volume of stopover visitors combined with the volume of visitor spending determines our standard of living and the visitor experience is our litmus test of improvements in product and service outputs.”
Mr. Wichcombe compared the 12 per cent dissatisfaction rate among Bahamian visitors with the 4 per cent who were unhappy with their vacation experience in Miami and the Beaches in 2001, a destination that attracted some 16 million visitors.
Source: The Tribune
