The Tribune

IN celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Ministry of Tourism, Prime Minister Perry Christie has declared 2014 the ‘Year of Culture’.

Noting that culture is a prominent concern in the Ministry of Tourism’s work, Mr Christie said the celebrations will begin with a national thanksgiving service at 9.30am at Christ Church Cathedral tomorrow.

Established by the Promotion of Tourism Act, the modern Ministry of Tourism was created in 1964, replacing the Tourism Development Board as the principle promotional and branding agency for the Bahamas.

The 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 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.

The Bahamas achieved a celebrated milestone when tourism expenditure eclipsed the one billion dollar mark for the first time in 1986.

Today, tourism accounts for more than 60 per cent of the nation’s economy. The government said that because a large part of the country’s tourism success is owed to its people and culture, throughout the year, the people, food, festivals, dance, heritage, music, arts and crafts of the Bahamas will be showcased.