The Tribune

The Bahamas has taken over one of South Florida’s major shopping malls for a four-week tourism promotion.

As part of what is known as a “brand takeover” or “mall domination”, The Bahamas’ marketing and advertising materials are being prominently displayed at the 2.4m square-foot Sawgrass Mills complex that attracts 40m shoppers annually,.

The campaign, lasting from January 10 to February 7, features Bahamas banner across major entrance corridors. Lit boxes with Bahamas images are located at spots in the three entryways and in the rotunda where the three entries merge.

A Bahamas booth is being manned by staff from the Bahamas Tourist Office (BTO), Florida, and industry partners including Bahamasair, FRS Caribbean (ferry to Bimini), Balearia Caribbean ferry to Freeport, Grand Bahama) hoteliers such as Abaco Beach Resort, and the country’s Promotion Boards.

Betty Bethel-Moss, director of sales for The Bahamas Tourist Office in Plantation, said: “This is a one-of-a-kind, and incredible opportunity, for the islands of The Bahamas to be showcased at a venue that attracts such an impressive number of shoppers daily, translating into phenomenal visibility and massive exposure for our islands.”

“What makes the opportunity even more stupendous is the fact that during this major initiative The Bahamas brand will be heavily exposed not only to local and national shoppers, but also to the astounding number of international visitors who are drawn to this Broward County attraction during their South Florida visits.”

The mall features some 375 name-brand outlets and off-price retail stores, and 90-plus unique retailers not found elsewhere in South Florida, along with 70 luxury outlets.

During the “takeover”, team members from the Bahamas Tourist Office and the marketing partners are available at the booth, Wednesday through Sunday, to provide shoppers with information on this nation.