The government is hoping to implement a more secure visa document for persons traveling to The Bahamas before the end of the year.
It is seen as a crucial step in luring high-end tourists from what has become a lucrative Asian market.
Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell revealed those plans on Thursday during a telephone interview with The Bahama Journal from India after meeting that country’s Association of Tour Operators.
At the meeting, there was an exchange of views on the potential for tourism from India.
President of the Association, Subhash Goyal, said India was a high-end tourist market with high net worth individuals who were interested in high-end up market service.
During the Tourism Conference earlier this month, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe announced that there would be a special thrust in Asia, an idea Minister Mitchell endorses.
“There is a great deal of wealth in all of these countries because of the state of their economies,” Minister Mitchell said.
“A large class of people with a great deal of wealth are interested in traveling to places where they have never been before and we found that this is the case in India-Tour operators are rearing to go. The country has a good reputation overseas and so they are quite interested in coming and spending their money with us.”
According to Minister Mitchell, Bahamian tourism officials will travel to India later this year to examine the possibilities of making this happen.
Meantime, Mr. Goyal urged that The Bahamas review its procedures regarding the issuance of visas for Indians who have U.S. or British visas.
Minister Mitchell said, “Tourism has in fact asked us to look at this and we’re working with them to sort out what the procedures would be.”
Minister Mitchell’s visit to India follows his meeting with officials in China. Bahamian officials officially opened an embassy in Beijing, which they believe is a crucial step in The Bahamas luring an influx of Chinese tourists.
China has a population of 1.3 billion people, and according to tourism officials, at least 50 million can afford a vacation to far-flung destinations like The Bahamas. Only a fraction of Chinese visitors travel to the region annually, and most of them go to Cuba.
The Bahamas is also hoping to increase trade with China.
The delegation next headed to India’s financial capital, Mumbai, where a meeting was expected to take place with representatives of that country’s financial sector.
Minister Mitchell is expected back in the capital this weekend.
By: Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
