The Tribune

The Bahamas is looking to stand out among the 200 countries that are all seeking a greater share of the UK and European tourist markets at World Travel Market (WTM) in London.

The Bahamas has a full team of exhibitors representing various destinations and hotel properties throughout the country, including the Ministry of Tourism, Baha Mar, Grand Bahama Island Promotion Board, Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board and Tiamo Resort in Andros.

The goal is to strengthen ties with travel partners and tour operators in the European market, and increase visitor traffic to the destination.

Leading the effort, Obie Wilchcombe, minister of tourism, said:n “It is important to come to the World Travel Market because you get a sense of where the competition is. We have to appreciate that the Bahamas is not in the game alone, and there are countries all over the globe that are now seeking that tourist dollar.”

Mr Wilchcombe said the delegation will attend several meetings and conferences during the four-day event in hopes of increasing airlift to the Bahamas from Europe and the UK, whose economies continue to strengthen.

“We are looking at the new trends in the market that show more and more Europeans are taking longer vacations, and discussing how we can get more of that business. We will spend a lot of time talking to competitors and also to potential clients. These are important meetings that are taking place this week,” Mr Wilchcombe said.

“We are now aggressively going after this market. It’s a viable and strong market, and we need more of it. We need more flights from British Airways, we need more flights from Virgin Atlantic, we need all the airlines we can get bringing business to the Bahamas.”

WTM is described as “a vibrant must attend business-to-business event presenting a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to UK and international travel professionals. It is a unique opportunity for the whole global travel trade to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business.”

Joy Jibrilu, the Ministry of Tourism’s director-general, said the number of competitors should be an eye-opener for Bahamians who may not understand the significance of the slogan ‘Tourism is everyone’s business’.

“This trade show proves how competitive the tourism industry is. We are competing with the world. We are competing with major players in the industry. Tourism is the cornerstone of our economy and it is time for everyone back home to take it more seriously. This is the message we want to send to Bahamians,” Ms Jibrilu said.

“You have to look at it in regions now. You have Latin America, you have Europe, you have the Middle East and there is Africa. Everyone is looking for business from the strong economies. We must make sure that we get back to our position as leaders in the tourism industry.”

WTM hosts a total of 183 countries, and more than 75,500 trade visitors.