Sunny......bottom-line....

The tourists are leaving b/c The Bahamas has lost it's lustre.
Especially considering that most tourists spend their time in Nassau. If you've been here once, you've been here a thousand times.
We're not giving them anything unique enough to differentiate us from other sun, sand & sea destinations.
We've become BLAH!
But yet we still promote ourselves in the same way.
We need to become THE HOT SPOT again.
That's gonna take some creativity and diversification.
That's why I say they need to promote the different islands.
Make it known that Nassau/PI is only a PART of what we have to offer.

Until they do that, we'll continue to be a "been there, done that" destination.

Sunny......bottom-line....
The tourists are leaving b/c The Bahamas has lost it's lustre.
Lost lustre to who?

Especially considering that most tourists spend their time in Nassau. If you've been here once, you've been here a thousand times.
We're not giving them anything unique enough to differentiate us from other sun, sand & sea destinations.
This is what "we feel" but it is not what we know for everyone. But, it is obvious that we are not giving them something, or for that matter, it may not be totally our fault at all. People may just be travelling less, because they have less money...that plays a part.

We've become BLAH!
Become BLAH to who?

But yet we still promote ourselves in the same way.
This is true..but exactly what do the tourists who have been leaving need, and how can we get more new tourists in?
This is where we are at.


We need to become THE HOT SPOT again.
To who?

That's gonna take some creativity and diversification.
In what way should we diversify, and gear it towards who?

That's why I say they need to promote the different islands.
They tried this. Hip-to-hop was a marginal venture.

Make it known that Nassau/PI is only a PART of what we have to offer
Been there done that.

Until they do that, we'll continue to be a "been there, done that" destination.

How do we diversify...what do we market to who and where and why?

Lost lustre to who?
This is what "we feel" but it is not what we know for everyone. But, it is obvious that we are not giving them something, or for that matter, it may not be totally our fault at all. People may just be travelling less, because they have less money...that plays a part.
Become BLAH to who?
This is true..but exactly what do the tourists who have been leaving need, and how can we get more new tourists in?
This is where we are at.
To who?
In what way should we diversify, and gear it towards who?
They tried this. Hip-to-hop was a marginal venture.
Been there done that.
How do we diversify...what do we market to who and where and why?


trust me, if i knew the answers to ANY of your questions, or had any marketable ideas, i would package it and sell it to the Ministry of Tourism. :)

IMO, i think we 'focus' too much on North America. is it because the majority of them speak English, which is easier for us to deal with? hmmm. is it because we think they're more likely to hop a plane b/c we're a stone's throw away from FL? what are we doing to pull in folks from the Eastern Hemisphere?

i wonder if there is a way to determine how many of our visitors are return visitors. i'm pretty sure one of the questionnaires they complete asks that question. for example, a few of my American friends toyed around with the idea of coming down here for the summer. it was to be about 10 of them. they ended up choosing to go to Trinidad. why? b/c they've all been here (Nassau) before. i asked them why didn't they visit one of our Family Islands instead, as it would be alot cheaper & closer. their response, "we've never heard of Abaco....Exuma...Eleuthera...or Freeport."
we need to market the fact that within one country, there's a myriad of islands to choose from.

we need to find out what else we have to offer besides Atlantis.

i mean, seriously.....how many times can you find Atlantis fascinating? especially at those prices.

trust me, if i knew the answers to ANY of your questions, or had any marketable ideas, i would package it and sell it to the Ministry of Tourism. :)
Even if you had a good idea, and if I had a good idea, they would not use it because their ego and nastiness, would not allow someone else to have a bright idea that did not have their input in it.
:taped2:

IMO, i think we 'focus' too much on North America.
This is what I have said from page one.


is it because the majority of them speak English, which is easier for us to deal with? hmmm. is it because we think they're more likely to hop a plane b/c we're a stone's throw away from FL? what are we doing to pull in folks from the Eastern Hemisphere?
Maybe.

i wonder if there is a way to determine how many of our visitors are return visitors. i'm pretty sure one of the questionnaires they complete asks that question. for example, a few of my American friends toyed around with the idea of coming down here for the summer. it was to be about 10 of them. they ended up choosing to go to Trinidad. why? b/c they've all been here (Nassau) before. i asked them why didn't they visit one of our Family Islands instead, as it would be alot cheaper & closer. their response, "we've never heard of Abaco....Exuma...Eleuthera...or Freeport."
we need to market the fact that within one country, there's a myriad of islands to choose from.
My thing is. Why would they want to come to an out-island. Why would anyone want to come to a scenic, beautiful and almost deserted island?




we need to find out what else we have to offer besides Atlantis.

i mean, seriously.....how many times can you find Atlantis fascinating? especially at those prices.

I hear ya.....but....we need to look into it.
:)

Even if you had a good idea, and if I had a good idea, they would not use it because their ego and nastiness, would not allow someone else to have a bright idea that did not have their input in it.
:taped2:
This is what I have said from page one.
Maybe.
My thing is. Why would they want to come to an out-island. Why would anyone want to come to a scenic, beautiful and almost deserted island?
I hear ya.....but....we need to look into it.
:)


everyone needs absolute peace & quiet every once in a while. especially those that are hounded everyday. i know a few mothers that would love to get away for a weekend. lol.

i don't think Bahamians should be the ones marketing or promoting this country. alot of us go on vacation for different reasons. most to shop, some for entertainment purposes.

do we really understand the concept of 'going away to get away from it all'?

everyone needs absolute peace & quiet every once in a while. especially those that are hounded everyday. i know a few mothers that would love to get away for a weekend. lol.
i don't think Bahamians should be the ones marketing or promoting this country. alot of us go on vacation for different reasons. most to shop, some for entertainment purposes.
do we really understand the concept of 'going away to get away from it all'?

I think we are the perfect people to market our country. The problem is that the decision makers don't have enough pride in the thing that makes us unique, our own culture, to promote it. That could be anything from our food to our music, dance theatre, storytelling etc. When i go away, no matter where it is I go, i like to find out something unique about the culture of that place. We have all said "where do the people who live here go?"
What would happen if when a tourist came here they were exposed to how people play music on the island, local dance traditions, local story telling traditions? yeah yeah I know a lot of that is dying off but that is only because we think its better to offer wendy's to tourists than fried snapper.
Our beaches ARE beautiful but our best asset is our people. What if we were empowered to believe that our culture has value? what impact would that have on us as a people, what impact would that have on the way we market our country? If we marketed our country that way, how many repeat customers would we have?

My thing is. Why would they want to come to an out-island. Why would anyone want to come to a scenic, beautiful and almost deserted island?
I hear ya.....but....we need to look into it.
:)


on harbour island and on eleuthera, we have historically maintained an eighty percent return rate. freeport boasts a forty percent return rate, and nassau a thirty percent return rate.

people apparently appreciate the scenic, beautiful and almost deserted island option because it tends to be cleaner, friendlier and more historically interesting than the 'big islands,' which try too hard to be miami or honolulu ... and our return visitors end up buying second homes in the community FORTY percent of the time, according to the most recent stats out of the ministry of tourism. not bad.

Jeesuus, they fresh like that in Canada too. Well muddoes. Vicky you must be hot and sexxxxxxxy gal!!:cutie:

My Moms neighbor (an elderly Jewish lady who survived Nazi Germany) saw me the evening I went out with my first girlfriend (when I went to high school up here my first true love so to say) She saw me walking down the hill and said I looked so pretty like I steped out of a magazine. She has known me since I was a kid.

I smiled and said thank you but thought to my self yeah right I am 49 and over weight.

on harbour island and on eleuthera, we have historically maintained an eighty percent return rate. freeport boasts a forty percent return rate, and nassau a thirty percent return rate.
people apparently appreciate the scenic, beautiful and almost deserted island option because it tends to be cleaner, friendlier and more historically interesting than the 'big islands,' which try too hard to be miami or honolulu ... and our return visitors end up buying second homes in the community FORTY percent of the time, according to the most recent stats out of the ministry of tourism. not bad.


The past 10 years we have been trying to modle ourself like Las Vegas, a city in the middle of the desert. We are 700 Islands in the middle of water. Why do you model youself on somehting completely differnt from us? And if we draw Americans, why attract them with something that all they need to do is get in a car and drive to in their own country?

Unless we focus much more on cultural and historical aspects of our tourism (historic restorations, festivals etc.) we will not attract much more than what we can attract from one concret jungle (New York, Miami, Chicago) to another (Nassau!)

Sunny......bottom-line....
The tourists are leaving b/c The Bahamas has lost it's lustre.
Especially considering that most tourists spend their time in Nassau. If you've been here once, you've been here a thousand times.
We're not giving them anything unique enough to differentiate us from other sun, sand & sea destinations.
We've become BLAH!
But yet we still promote ourselves in the same way.
We need to become THE HOT SPOT again.
That's gonna take some creativity and diversification.
That's why I say they need to promote the different islands.
Make it known that Nassau/PI is only a PART of what we have to offer.
Until they do that, we'll continue to be a "been there, done that" destination.

What makes the Bahamas a return destination are the Bahamian people.I am not speaking for visitors to Nassau on a junket,but tourists of the Family Islands that return many times to refresh aquaintances and friendships with locals.As a lifetime visitor and part time resident of the Bahamas with a Bahamian family, "as well as a seasoned traveler" it is all about the humour,friendliness and mannerisms of the Bahamians you get to know.:)

My Moms neighbor (an elderly Jewish lady who survived Nazi Germany) saw me the evening I went out with my first girlfriend (when I went to high school up here my first true love so to say) She saw me walking down the hill and said I looked so pretty like I steped out of a magazine. She has known me since I was a kid.
I smiled and said thank you but thought to my self yeah right I am 49 and over weight.

How her eyesight is?lol.........just jokin

I was watching a program that was about Russia and was amazed at the wealth that is being accumulated in that country. Why not try and lure some of the emerging eastern European markets to visit? They come from country's that mostly are cold and most probably do not have anything like what we have here. We need to hit up all the markets in the world.

the ad is on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEemJoXdOdY

the ad is on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEemJoXdOdY


Oh my! This commercial is excellent! Who produced it? Can you post the rest of them???

FANTASTIC!

the ad is on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEemJoXdOdY


I love that commercial. We need something like that for the MOT.