This is a message that The Bahamas and Bahamians understand very well. This is the message that Stafford Sands understood all the way back in 1950 ﾗ 56 years ago ﾗwhen he decided that tourism was too precious a commodity to be a seasonal product and opened up The Bahamas to year-round visitors from abroad.
In that period the money generated through the tourism industry helped to build the kind of infrastructure that has placed The Bahamas on the world map of preferred destinations and has enabled New Providence to grow from a laid back “fishing village” to a booming metropolis. The hotels have been transformed from the cozy enclaves that attracted guests fleeing the northern climes in the winter months to the kind of facilities that welcome visitors in every season.
The message from Bahamas Hotel Association President Earle Bethell is that tourism has been the primary instrument for the nation’s growth and prosperity. He reminds Bahamians that the dollars spent by tourists have fueled the Bahamian treasury, built the infrastructure, created jobs and spawned thousands of Bahamian-owned businesses.
Recognising what source tourism is to The Bahamas, it would behoove young Bahamians today to look at tourism in a positive light, removing from their minds the stereotypical thinking with regard to the kinds of jobs that are available. The opportunities are far removed from the general domestic positions of maids, waitresses, waiters, bartenders and other low-level dead-end jobs.
“The job and business opportunities are as wide as our imaginations, and the dollar power of tourism extends to every other area of our economic life,” says Mr Bethell in his message, detailing the other areas of business that are dependent on a healthy tourism industry.
There are also some serious questions being asked with regard to how the Bahamian people look at one another and the environment, and the taking of ownership of the beautiful God-given surroundings. It is further asked whether Bahamians are being sufficiently prepared through the schools and if they are willing to learn and adapt for the many available opportunities that will be afforded them.
From 1950 to now is a long time and the changes have been many. The quiet hotels such as The Montagu, Balmoral and Emerald Beach, The Royal Victoria, The Prince George and a number of smaller downtown establishments have all met their end and have been replaced with the likes of Kerzner International’s Atlantis on Paradise Island; Wyndham Resorts and Crystal Palace Casino, Radisson, Breezes and Sandals on the Cable Beach Strip; and the former British Colonial Hotel downtown has been rejuvenated as the British Colonial Hilton.
As the world’s largest growth industry, tourism has tripled in size and economic impact over the past 50 years and is forecast to triple again over the next 20 to 30 years. The move by Ministry of Tourism officials to visit 40 schools this week to underscore the World Tourism Day message that “Tourism enriches” is a good one and could be an enjoyable exercise for students being sensitised to the benefits of the nation’s primary industry.
The Nassau Guardian
