By DUDLEY BYFIELD

Bahamas Information Services

As part of the vision for the expansion of tourism in the main islands of The Bahamas, Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe says additional casino licences will be considered and a new thrust will be developed in the way new destinations are advertised worldwide.

And with the possibility of new casinos coming on stream, there will be significant changes and upgrading to the Gaming Board in keeping with the changing times.

These were among revelations made Saturday night in the Great Harbour Cay Room of the Our Lucaya resort, where he addressed the 35th anniversary celebrations and awards banquet of the Gaming Board.

Prefacing his exciting remarks, Mr. Wilchcombe declared, "I spend a tremendous amount of time with research, to find out where the world is going and I know that this coming year will see new activity in Great Britain, will see new activity in Asia, particularly in Singapore, and we are seeing new activity throughout the Caribbean.

"That," he added, "tells me that we have to continuously move to stay ahead of the game. And because we have to do that we are going to demand more training, because our people must be the best. It doesn't matter how small you are, it's your level of performance. And our level of performance as a country has made us one of the most outstanding countries in the entire world community.

"I am hoping one day that people will look at The Bahamas and recognize that, if you want to see examples of excellence: just turn to The Bahamas. If you want to see a people who defy odds, or people who believe in themselves, a people who work co-operatively, working together to make things happen, then look at The Bahamas."

Mr. Wilchcombe said he is hoping that one day they could see the country with a single eye as one Bahamian, where they were all pushing, moving in the same direction, recognizing that there were differences but they could agree to disagree and after they had done so agreeably, move on to make The Bahamas a great country.

Mr. Wilchcombe continued, "And so tonight is a very special night and I think it is also very important for us to reflect on all that's happened this past year, all that's happened in our Bahamas and in the world.

"And then of course you must remember those who suffered greatly from the hurricanes. And remember the families that lost loved ones this past year. Remember the families of Andre Rodgers and Smokey 007 and think about whether or not we have done enough for these people and how can we honour their contribution to this wonderful land of ours.

"I was in Exuma earlier today (December 18) welcoming a new airline to Exuma – U.S. Air beginning its service from Charlotte, North Carolina, and now exposing Exuma to some 25 million people. Charlotte is a principal hub and Exuma now has access to all those cities so we will see more business going into the island of Exuma.

"And those of you who don't know, there is a wonderful story being written right now about the growth and about the development of our Bahamas, the whole of New Providence, the whole of Grand Bahama plus the other islands of The Bahamas.

"We are seeing more growth in Exuma, we are seeing growth in San Salvador. We are going to see more developments in those islands. And then we are going to see Eleuthera come on stream next year.

"And then we are really going to appreciate that our country really has 31 inhabited islands – 31 islands that can provide tremendous opportunity for so many Bahamians.

"You know I was telling one of my colleagues recently, having travelled the Caribbean, that when you go to Anguilla, Anguilla is an entire country. But Grand Bahama is bigger than Anguilla. And we call it an island. It is a country.

"So we have 31 countries in The Bahamas. It's just like having the United States of America with all those big states, and I know in tourism what we have to prepare for. We have to prepare for the time when we are promoting Grand Bahama, we are promoting New Provi-dence, Eleuthera, Exuma and all the other islands – just as they do in Florida now. You hear about Orlando, you also hear about Miami, you hear about the tourist attractions in the various places.

"We are going," Minister Wilchcombe went on, "to have to do the same thing. And as we do it the Gaming Board has a major role to play. Let me encourage you to continue to play the role you have been playing and prepare for the coming changes at the Board which are due early next year.

"Let me applaud people like Dennis Martin, people who have contributed to the Gaming Board, those who are here today and those who have now gone. I applaud you for all the wonderful work you have done in providing this platform, making it possible for us to stand on and gave us the reputation that we do have as a country.

"So," Mr. Wilchcombe ended, "I celebrate all of you and wish you all the best and wish you a Merry Christmas and a bright and prosperous New Year."