The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM Minister Obie Wilchcombe said yesterday that his Ministry was working on attracting more top sporting and entertainment events to the Bahamas, adding that the success of recent events such as the Pure-Silk Bahamas Ladies Professional Golf (LPGA) tournament had set the platform for growth.

“We have had several major events in recent months. The LPGA tournament was significant, but so was the football match between Tottenham and the Reggae Boyz. It wasn’t for this year to be the big event; it’s really as we go into the future,” Mr Wilchconbe said.

“Now we’re working on ensuring that next year and beyond are bigger, because we have a whole year to promote.

“We’re working on some other major events, including sporting and entertainment events, to get more people to come to come to our country.”

Atlantis’s president and managing director, George Markantonis, told 
Tribune Business earlier this week that the golf tournament had generated some 3,000 room nights for the resort over the US Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Mr Wilchcombe noted that a Latin concert on Grand Bahama over the weekend had helped to boost hotel occupancy levels on that island.

“In Grand Bahama over the weekend we had the first in a series of Latin concerts where persons came down with a Latino star, and they had a major event down there,” he said.

“What that caused was an increase in occupancy levels at the hotels, and also brought visitors in to spend money at various shops, particularly in the Lucyan area, so I feel very good about where we are going.

“We’re planting the 
seed.

“Now we have to nurture it and cause it to grow, and once we get it to grow we can work on the sustainability levels.”