Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe told the Bahama Journal Monday that approximately 400,000 visitors came to The Bahamas in November 2003, a noteworthy improvement when compared to the same period the previous year.
Each cruise passenger spends on average $80 per visit, whereas land based passengers leave approximately $1,000 in the local economy, according to tourism officials.
But Minister Wilchcombe said the government wants tourists to spend a bit more.
οΎ ”Can you imagine if every tourist coming to The Bahamas spent an additional $20?” he asked. “But this is what we haven’t done simply because we’ve been resting on our laurels and expecting it to happen.”
Plans are already underway to introduce new tour packages, which would include sites such as the forts, the National Art Gallery, Bacardi and the Kalik plant.
Minister Wilchcombe also added that Bahamasair has to become a part of the tourism focus.
According to the Minister, some visitors are faced with an almost $800 price tag for a return trip from New York to this country. It is a cost, he said, The Bahamas must seek to reduce much like the Jamaican tourism board has successfully done.
“We need to have in our market a friendly airline that allows us to do this. (Bahamasair) has to help us drive visitors to The Bahamas from places like Europe, Latin America, Canada or the United States”.
He conceded, however, that Bahamasair has been edged out of the picture, as private charter services have now assumed the role of full-fledged airlines that are less expensive to use.
“It’s pathetic really that we have to depend on all the foreign carriers,” Minister Wilchcombe said. “The good part is that it speaks volumes about the fact that other airlines recognize The Bahamas as a destination in demand and continues to fly here, which sends a strong message that we are a preferred vacation spot.”
However, the Minister was quick to point out that this could all change if international tragedies like the September 11 terror attacks happen again. The country’s tourism industry was clobbered by a drop-off in travel following the 2001 tragedy.
According to Minister Wilchcombe, the Ministry of Tourism is now seeking to foster a better relationship between cost and service.
The government last year made a step in facilitating that idea following its decision to reduce the cost of electricity, a relief for hoteliers who had for years been begging for concessions in this area.
As of last year October hotels benefited from a 12 percent reduction in a combination of tariff rates, fuel surcharges and maximum demand charges, resulting in thousands of dollars in savings.
But according to Minister Wilchcombe, there are also complaints about the high cost of purchasing beverages at hotels.
“Maybe we have to consider reducing the cost of beer or the taxes attached to it and instead raising the cost of hard liquor,” he said. “We have to consider all these things.”
By Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
