NEW YORK, N.Y., June 5, 2005 οΎ— Once again, The Bahamas made sure its presence was felt at Caribbean Week in New York City. And although this year’s participation was a little scaled back, it still allowed The Bahamas to maintain its reputation as the undisputed leader in tourism promotion in the region.
Last year’s show stopping performance included the recorded rendition by the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band, used to start off the Interfaith Celebration at St George’s Episcopal Church and the interactive booth displayed at Caribbean Fair.
According to Janet Johnson, deputy director of Communications at the Ministry of Tourism’s New York office, The Islands Of The Bahamas has always taken a leading role in organising Caribbean Week and this year was no different. “We went out with a bang last year,” she said. “The performance we put on will always be remembered as one of the best Caribbean Weeks this city has every seen. This year, however, we decided to scale things back a bit. The driving theme this year was to focus on niche markets and we found that we were able to do this successfully while spending significantly less money.”
Caribbean week is a mixture of consumer oriented events like Caribbean Fair coupled with business meetings and round table sessions among regional ministers and directors of tourism. The week allows tourism leaders the chance to discuss challenges facing the industry and work towards ways of improving the most important economic activity of all Caribbean countries. One of the most significant developments to come out of this year’s discussions was the naming of The Bahamas’ Director General of Tourism, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, as the new Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation. Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace was selected on Thursday by a unanimous vote among regional ministers of tourism.
Another significant achievement for The Bahamas during Caribbean Week 2005 was the Caribbean Fair and DoIt Caribbean Wedding. Caribbean Fair is used as a platform to showcase the best of the region’s food, culture and beauty. And this year’s fair, held on Pier 16 of the historic South Street Seaport, was no different.
In the early 18th through 19th centuries, South Street Seaport was hailed as one of the busiest ports in the United States. Today, the port serves as a museum and is home to some of the most famous fishing schooners and merchant ships that once sailed during the ports hey day. It was amongst these towering vessels and against the backdrop of century old buildings and the stone paved streets of Fulton that the Caribbean showcased its vibrancy and multiplicity to New York City.
The fair displayed booths by all member countries of the CTO. From as far north as Bermuda to Trinidad and Tobago in the south, the countries of the region brought out their best representations of food, culture and destination highlights to entice potential visitors on the heavily trafficked boardwalk.
For This year’s Fair, The Islands Of The Bahamas took a more interactive approach towards reaching potential consumers. Using high tech marketing techniques that included a gigantic flat screen television showing continuous footage of various destinations on the islands and computer kiosks displaying virtual brochures, The Bahamas did its best to entice New Yorkers and visitors to New York to come over for a visit.
It was the Junkanoo mascot and the Putting Green however that were the biggest hit. The two allowed visitors to the booth to imagine just for a moment, that they were swinging their clubs on one of the Islands Of The Bahamas’ famous golf courses as the rhythmic sounds of the Junkanoo drum floated in from a distance. The Ministry of Tourism also used Caribbean Week 2005 as an opportunity to showcase the colourful cuisine of the islands. Famed Chef Dwaine Cleare of Our Lucaya Resort on Grand Bahama put on cooking demonstrations throughout New York City including locations like Macy’s and Bloomingdales.
Very pleased with the approach taken by The Bahamas during this year’s Caribbean Week celebration, Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe praised the consistent effort of his staff at the ministry to push the annual celebration to a higher level.
“I believe in the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and what it can do for the region,” he said. “And I am even happier that we at the Ministry of Tourism are still taking leading roles to ensure that this very important marketing event is not only a success for The Bahamas but for other countries in the region as well.” Minister Wilchcombe passed on the chairmanship of the CTO to Pamela Richards of the U.S. Virgin Islands last year.
From The Nassau Guardian
