BAHAMAS.COM has proven to be an important asset to the country’s number one industry according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Tourism’s information technology department.
The website was launched in 2003 and its performance since then has Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe beaming.
Tourism IT director Kayla Ward told The Tribicne that from November 2003 to June 2004, there was $1.1 million in bookings on the site, while from November 2004 to June 2005, visitors spent $3.6 million through Bahamas.com.
Mr Wilchcombe said that in this day and age, the trend for travel is turning more towards the internet, and the ministry wants to capitalise on that.
Last year, 30 million US households bought travel on line, spending $53 billion. Of all the US households that took trips to the Caribbean, 25 per cent booked online. Experts project that by 2009, 46.4 million households will buy online travel, spending $111 billion.
While the growth of the website is impressive, Mrs Ward explained that a three-year plan is being implemented to raise those numbers even further.
She said the focus will be on finding out exactly what visitors to the website want in order to accommodate their every need.
An online user research plan will use studies to find out how satisfied visitors are with Bahamas.com. Questions will help determine how effective the website is, if there were any needs not being met, and what content is unnecessary.
For just the first quarter of 2005 alone, more than seven and a half million web surfers visited Bahamas.com. The website can lure even the most uninterested user.
The home page has a beckoning scene of Eleuthera’s mysterious glass window bridge. The media gallery offers live video clips from around the archipelago, and also offers 360 views of some of the most fascinating places in the world. Ministry of Tourism experts have focused on the natural beauty of the islands and the charm of the Bahamian people.
Even someone who considers themselves a “true” Bahamian can learn a lot from the website.
The web surfer can go on a boat ride in Bennett’s Harbour, visit an historic cave in Hamilton’s, Long Island, or swim with dolphins in Bimini.
Potential visitors can book hotel accommodations, tours, or put together an entire package through the website.
Additionally, the web surfer can find out exactly what is going on in the Bahamas.
“In 2003 the e-Commerce department of the Bahamas Tourist Office, Florida was established to move from a traditional business model to an on-line business model, going directly to the consumer,” said Mrs Ward.
As the change in the travel industry took shape, the Bahamas government made a strategic decision to launch its own website to provide Internet users an opportunity to research their vacations directly from a knowledgeable source, and provide them referrals to travel agents who had completed a Bahamas Tourism Institute training programme.
“E-commerce was also established to build and maintain strategic partnerships with other on-line travel companies. Separate and apart from our affiliate partnership with Expedia.com and their private label division, (WWTE) we work strategically with Travelocity.com, National Leisure Group (NLG), and Expedia.com to promote the Bahamas online through marketing, advertising and promotional programmes and initiatives,” she said.
These campaigns, Mrs Ward added, are geared toward increasing website traffic and sales conversions.
“There are several. vendors who make available to us the latest cutting-edge technology, which enables us to accomplish our goals and objectives.”
By FELICITY INGRAHAM, Tribune Staff Reporter
