Within the next month Bahamian tourism officials expect to begin crucial negotiations with Chinese tour operators as a means of ultimately luring countless visitors from the Orient, according to the newly entrenched Director General of Tourism Vernice Walkine.
Ms. Walkine took over the position recently from Vincent Vanderpool Wallace who has left the country to fill the post of Secretary General of the influential Caribbean Tourism Organization [CTO].
The planned talks with the Chinese are the result of a pact that was signed with government officials and will represent one of several strategic moves to more thoroughly tap into emerging markets like China and woo tourists from other areas like the United Kingdom and Europe.
Last year, The Bahamas exceeded the five million visitor mark, considered a substantial achievement in the sector that is the main generator of economic activity. But 90 percent of those visitors were from North America.
The Bahamas was one of eight countries in the Caribbean region that signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the People’s Republic of China as a way to increase the numbers of Chinese travelers to the region.
“Suffice it to say that the reason the long haul air carriers are increasing their service is that there is satisfactory demand and we are looking at emerging markets like China in the far East,” Ms. Walkine explained in one of her first extensive interviews since snagging the new position.
“We expect to meet with Chinese tour operators within the next 30 days on the contractual business side [of the agreement],” she added.
Virgin Airlines is scheduled to begin its weekly service between Nassau and London at the end of the month. The deadline is also one that aviation officials have given for the completion of the essential upgrade of the main runway at the Nassau International Airport in order to accommodate the larger Virgin aircraft.
Over the last few months, other low cost air carriers like Song, Spirit and Jet Blue airlines have inaugurated their services between Nassau and key American hubs, in an encouraging sign for Bahamian officials who are intent on improving tourism figures.
But the upsurge in airlift has created an imbalance, as the level of available hotel rooms has not kept pace.
There are just over 9,000 hotels rooms in Nassau/Paradise Island and in excess of 15,000 in the entire country.
Hundreds of additional rooms are not scheduled to come online for another few years once various projects around The Bahamas are completed.
In the short to medium term, tourism officials are examining a plan to shift the peak demand for hotel rooms to mid week and according to Ms. Walkine, an individual in the Ministry of Tourism will be appointed to specifically address the issue.
“North Americans tend to take frequent trips for shorter periods of time perhaps two to three times per year for four to five days in duration primarily Thursday to Sunday or Monday. We want to give incentives for them to come during the mid week Monday to Thursday instead,” she explained.
But once that happens, tourism officials are also trying to ensure that there are adequate activities to keep the visitors thoroughly entertained like the Bahamian Rhapsody show that is being organized.
There are also additional plans to increase the amount of ground tours in Nassau/ Paradise Island.
For the first few months of this year tourism inflows softened because of the reduced output in Grand Bahama. But there was significant stopover spending gains in both New Providence and the Family Islands, according to the latest report released by the Central Bank of the Bahamas.
The report said that total visitor arrivals during the first quarter were 1.3 million, a three percent decline compared to the same period in the previous year.
The new Director General said she has no plans to make arbitrary changes in the business plan that has been mapped out for the Ministry of Tourism.
But she does intend to continue fast tracking certain key initiatives in the pivotal area of product development like sustained clean up of the highly trafficked tourist areas and improving signage.
Reminiscing on the phased transition over the last few weeks, Ms. Walkine said she was not surprised about the decision to promote her from the Deputy Director General position to her current post.
She had already been briefed that her predecessor Vincent Vanderpool Wallace was being favourably considered for a top position with the Caribbean Tourism Organization [CTO] and that meant appointing a successor.
“The minister had had a conversation with me to the effect that given the fact that Vincent was moving on to the, he was going to be recommending to his Cabinet colleagues and the Prime Minister that I replace him.
He said that to me confidentially in advance of the actually appointment of Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace, so I can’t say that I was surprised, But it was still very pleasing to me to have gotten the approval of my minister’s colleagues for me to take the position,” she said.
She also credited her predecessor with fast tracking her career after he had recognized her potential.
By: Tameka Lundy, The Bahama Journal
