By LISA S. KING

Freeport News Reporter

lisa@nasguard.com

Continuing on the path of promoting Grand Bahama to North America, Ministry of Tourism Deputy Director for Marketing Anthony Stuart said the Grand Bahama Tourism Board stationed in Plantation, Florida stands committed in declaring the northern island is back and on the move with impressive touristic developments for 2005.

Mr. Stuart, whose responsibilities include promoting Grand Bahama throughout that area, said that while business from the Canada market has fallen over the years, the Ministry has now embarked upon a strong campaign to seek out new areas such as Chicago, where airlines like AirTran have connecting flights from Chicago to Atlanta to Grand Bahama.

To get a positive message in that area, he said, would be a good opportunity for visitor increase to the island.

"We have established ourselves in certain parts of the United States," he said, in an interview last Thursday, noting that Grand Bahama traditionally gets its business from areas like Atlanta, Cleveland, Charlotte or Cincinnati.

"But we have to break some new ground," Mr. Stuart added. "We have to go back and claim some of that business we used to get from Canada. Another aspect we are looking at is the cruise industry, which plays a big role in the economy of Grand Bahama, and there are so many people who are opting for cruises because it gives the opportunity to see one or two or three destinations while they are on a particular vacation.

"And we have got such a good product for the cruise visitor right here on Grand Bahama that we have to capture some more of that business. As you look around, there are more and more cruise ships being built and coming into the marketplace. We are so close to the United States that we are a natural stop, either at the start of a cruise vacation or the end of it, so we have that ability to cater to the majority of cruise passengers in the region."

He said that from both the travel agency and the consumer point of view, the majority of those involved are pleased that Grand Bahama is back in the marketplace. However, the Florida tourism market is slowly coming around after being severely hit by four hurricanes in 2004.

Despite such set-backs, he believes that the market will soon be thriving again as Grand Bahama's proximity to Florida gives such an extraordinary opportunity for Floridians to revisit the island for another vacation.

He said cruise ships like Discovery make the transition very easy for visitors who want to spend the night or stay for a few days, adding that there is also the availability of flights coming from Florida. To help boost this market, he said the Ministry is promoting what it calls, "Companion Fly or Sale Free from South Florida," and is expecting to implement it very soon.

Mr. Stuart was also on hand to host a group of Travel agents on a 'Fam Trip' to Grand Bahama last week. The agents got a chance to experience the destination and receive pertinent updates on the positive developments taking place on the island.

Of particular note was their exposure to the Ministry's latest "We're Back" campaign, where they were given copies of the billboard and newspaper advertising initiatives that are currently running throughout the North American market.

"We also gave them opportunity to see some of the major resorts, so we took them to see the resort at Port Lucaya, Pelican Bay, Club Fortuna, and they have had the chance to experience the service of The Westin and Sheraton at Our Lucaya," he said. "So they have been able to experience some of the things that take place here on Grand Bahama island and to learn about what's going on. What we are basically doing is giving them the tools and the foundation to go back home and sell travel to Grand Bahama island."

The trip was organized by Your Travel Biz.Com (YTB), an on-line travel agency, in conjunction with RB Tours, a travel company based in Texas along with GB tourism officials. The visiting travel agents participated in fun-filled hotel activities and extensive tours of the island to familiarize them with its wonderful attractions so that they in turn can recommend to their clients to come and share the same experience.

"They constantly say they see a genuine friendship, a welcoming smile, they have never had to ask twice for anything, or for directions when they went to the marketplace," Mr. Stuart said. "Many of them said when they went there, they felt so at ease, so at home and now they cannot wait to get back home and tell their clients about Grand Bahama island and their experience."

Mr. Stuart said that such occasions are a plus for the ministry in that it will give great rewards for the future. He said what Grand Bahama has to offer is so unique to the region that the agents now have that chance to see something that is totally different.

Noting that the agents were educated on the various touristic attractions on Grand Bahama, he said the most interest was shown in the People-to-People programme.

"They all want to participate in the People-to-People programme because they think that it is such a great opportunity to come to a destination as a visitor, but have an opportunity to sit down or go to church in joint fellowship or go to a restaurant and actually experience a vacation through the eyes of a Bahamian," he said. "So I think that what we are going to end up having is this increase by visitors who want to experience the People-to-People programme which is so unique to The Bahamas."

He said a lot of the agents on the trip are also cruise specialists and the ministry had the chance to tell them about the cruise industry's impact on tourism in Grand Bahama.