The Tribune

Private and public sector executives represented The Bahamas at a major diving event staged in the UK.

Iain Rodgers, senior marketing manager from the UK-based Bahamas Tourism Office, attended the Go Diving 2020 trade and consumer show that was held in the UK. Muriel Rolle-Gaitor, of Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas, also represented this nation.

Go Diving, which was spread across three days, attracted nearly 7,000 visitors, which represented a 25 percent increase over the inaugural show in 2019. The trade day included seminars and member forums, with presentations for dive centres/schools on developing an internet presence and using social media.

Among the main speakers was Steve Backshall, who presented BBC Blue Planet LIVE from Bimini in 2019. Those attending the show included Simon Rogerson, the editor of SCUBA Magazine, the official journal of the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC), which has 28,000 members. The magazine itself has 19,000 subscribers.

A specialist underwater photographer, Mr Rogerson recently returned from a multi-island familiarisation trip to The Bahamas. He worked with the Bahamas Tourism Office to create its new dive guide for the UK market, which was launched at the show and will also be distributed with SCUBA magazine. Further exposure for The Bahamas will be achieved through future editorials and images in the magazine.