Posted by Briland Modem News Team on March 21, 2001 at 12:02:54:
Domestic tourism
March 21st. 2001
The regular Regatta followers go to Exuma, Long Island and to a few other islands that are popular with the crowds that follow the racing boats. The homecomings and family reunion gatherings travel to specific destinations and it is usually because of family origins. In the main, however, the majority of Bahamians do not see too much more of The Bahamas other than their home island and New Providence or Grand Bahama.
That is a shame.
Bahamians generally have not been tourist travellers although they take trips regularly. They travel to shop. There are Bahamians who go regularly to Miami and other cities in South Florida but all they see are the hotels, shopping malls, Flea Markets and fast food restaurants. The tourist attractions, historical sites and the museums are never visited.
That, too, is a shame.
But the Ministry of Tourism has launched an initiative that will invite Bahamians to become tourist travellers, and without leaving The Bahamas. The Ministry has joined with the national flag carrier Bahamasair, and others, to make the cost of inter-island travel an attractive and affordable experience for the average Bahamian who would otherwise consider it more tempting to go shopping in the United States.
A flight to Andros Island from the Nassau International Airport can take less time than it takes to be served at the drive-through facilities of their favourite hamburger and chicken outlets. There are too many Bahamians though who have never taken that 10-15 minutes' flight to an island of immense beauty, history and cultural folklore. The same goes for the other inhabited and uninhabited 700 islands and cays that make up the Bahamian archipelago.
Foreigners come from thousands of miles away and they soak up and enjoy the wonders of the Bahamian islands. Some learn and know more about the country in one trip than many who were born and raised in The Bahamas but have never gotten to know it intimately for themselves.
Tourism Minister Tommy Turnquest was right on when he said that many Bahamians in Nassau and in Freeport really have no idea of the beauty that the international visitors see.
The lineup of the islands to float the idea of Bahamians travelling within The Bahamas include Andros, Eleuthera, Abaco and Exuma, with other islands coming on stream if the Ministry's analysis determines that the response is favourable.
Tourism is the country's number one industry and it is dependent on foreigners coming from the outside and contributing to the economic well-being of the Bahamian people. But it also makes good sense, as Bahamasair's Tyrone Sawyer says, for the Bahamian people to become tourists in their own country. In that way they will have an intimate knowledge of the islands and they will also be helping themselves by spending their money at home.