The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Bahamasair needs to “go beyond sponsoring shopping excursions to Florida”, a senior tourism executive said yesterday, arguing that this nation must have the global airlift reach and capacity to sustain its tourism sector.

David Johnson, chief executive of the newly-formed Tourism Development Corporation, which has replaced the Hotel Corporation, told the 11th annual Abaco Business Outlook conference that growing the tourism sector requires critical thinking, planning and focused execution.

While acknowledging that he did not speak on behalf of Bahamasair, Mr Johnson said: “We need to, and we will encourage, a focus on Bahamasair as an economic driver, and encourage its repositioning to become a consolidator of domestic airlift.

“Its international service be should be done in conjunction with tourism to drive economic development through the tourism sector, and go beyond the shopping excursions that they sponsor into Florida by virtue of the limited reach of their services.”

Mr Johnson added that efforts were being made to improve the Port of Nassau, which welcomes more than four million visitors annually, and make it “best in class”.

“We have to do what we did with Nassau airport, which was at one point almost first in class. Through clever negotiations and investments, now it is almost best in class in the region,” he explained.

“We can likewise do the same with Prince George Dock, the port of Nassau, to make it an iconic port and make it best in class. That will have the impact of not only stabilising tourism in Nassau but it would spread throughout the county because there are multiple opportunities throughout the Bahamas.”

Mr Johnson said Abaco’s tourism sector has been anchored by the second home owner segment, whereas in the rest of the country hotels provided 80 per cent of tourism’s stopover accommodation.