The Tribune

The Prime Minister has declared 2014 as the ‘Year of Culture’ to coincide with the Ministry of Tourism’s 50th anniversary.

The Ministry of Tourism will start its Golden Jubilee celebration of the Promotion of Tourism Act in a national service of thanksgiving via a 9:30 am Mass at Christ Church Cathedral tomorrow.

Established by an Act of Parliament, the Promotion of Tourism Act gave birth to the modern Ministry of Tourism. The Act came into force in 1964, replacing the Tourism Development Board as the principle promotional and branding agency for the Bahamas.

The Promotion of Tourism Act provided for the appointment of a Minister of Tourism, a corporate structure and a budget, with the mandate to aggressively promote tourism internationally. This new strategy is credited with catapulting the Bahamas from a mere winter destination to international prominence as one of the premier year-round tourism destinations in the world.

Tourism spending eclipsed the $1 billion mark in 1986, and the industry today accounts for more than 60 per cent of the nation’s economy and jobs.