Address to the Rotary
Club of Sunrise
7:00am
February 16, 2005
By
Terrance Roberts, Director of Business Development/Public Relations,
Ministry of Tourism
President Turner, distinguished members of
the Rotary Club at Sunrise, I am pleased to be here this morning, to provide
you with a brief commentary on a few of the items on our tourism agenda, for
the year 2005 and beyond. And to add a note of caution that as the world
tourism market becomes increasingly competitive, we are challenged to
constantly bear in mind that in order to succeed, we have to be the best in
the world.
Five months following the September
Storms, it is clear that the Grand Bahama Tourism Industry continues to
benefit from a well coordinated public - private sector relationship. There
is still a lot of work left to be done, but I believe that it is safe to say
that from East End to West End, with a few exceptions, the tourism plant is
significantly restored, with the Westin and Sheraton at Our Lucaya Beach and
Golf Resort leading the way.
Other defining moments in our steps to
full recovery will be created by the re-opening of Old Bahama Bay, West End,
Monday, March 15th, and in June later this year when the
Lighthouse Pointe of the Westin at Our Lucaya will come on stream as a
deluxe suite-only beach front property. This transformation will enhance our
reputation as a destination of choice, as we seek to meet the demand of the
high end customer and casino high rollers.
Today, the Lucaya properties are
experiencing a twelve percent increase in room occupancies for the month of
January, at 61% as compared to 49% over the same period last year. Healthy
occupancy levels are projected island-wide for February through the end of
April 2005.
Grand Bahama Vacations
Motivated by the prime objective to promote inbound tourism, Grand Bahamaπs
Tourism planners have taken the decision to establish an entity with a
singular focus that will sustain promotional efforts on behalf of the
destination. This initiative will yield benefits for all of its members
principally and the community generally, through the acquisition of a Tour
Operation.
Registered in the Bahamas, the United States, the United Kingdom, the
European Community and working with similar organizations in the Caribbean,
Central and South America and Mexico, Grand Bahama Vacations has become that
vehicle with a Grand Bahama only focus, taking our message into the
international marketplace.
Headquartered in Plantation, FL, Grand Bahama Vacations has become the call
to action for our currently running åWeπre back! Campaignπ, which is being
featured on Bill Boards, radio and print, in South Florida, Atlanta,
Charlotte, and Baltimore. Increasingly bookings are being taken from travel
agents as well as consumers, via the toll free number and on the website.
Initial
launch dates for the new Grand Bahama Vacations are scheduled for the major
non-stop markets, on April 4, and 6th in Baltimore and Atlanta;
and Charlotte and South Florida, the following week; and a series of
seminars are being scheduled for the sub-markets, including New York,
Boston, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Raleigh-Durham and
Richmond. These promotions will be fully supported by the entire Grand
Bahama sales force.
The new
Grand Bahama Vacations will be in the unique position of being able to
convert the lowest available airfares and net hotel rates into the best
commissionable vacation package in the market.
The
Ministry of Tourism/Grand Bahama Island Tourism off-shore sales team will
continue to support the many established distribution channels of offline
and online business to Grand Bahama Island. But their focus will be adjusted
in order to provide more support for the GBV initiatives.
Scheduled Airlift
Our partnerships with AirTran Airways, US
Airways, Delta Express, Continental Express, Continental Connection/Gulf
Stream Airlines, American Eagle and Bahamasair remain strong. I am happy to
report that the new Grand Bahama International Airport, which is the first
international airport to be opened after 9/11, continues to make a
favourable impression on arriving and departing international passengers.
Last Saturday, February 12, US Airways
resumed the non-stop Saturday only services from LaGuardia, NY and
Philadelphia, PA. We continue to receive passengers via US Airwaysπ daily
jet service from Charlotte, NC; Air Tran Airwaysπ daily non-stop service
from Baltimore and Atlanta; Delta Expressπ twice daily regional jet service
also from Atlanta; and Continental Express which flies non-stop from Newark,
NJ. Bahamasair, American Eagle and Continental/Gulfstream provide daily
services from South Florida.
Therefore, we have the capacity to receive
just over 400,000 overnight passengers via schedule airlines from the Unites
States annually. Our great challenge now, is to ensure that through our
promotions and the delivery of first class vacation experiences, we can fill
each one of those seats and then resume our expansion efforts.
Our efforts in the European Market
continue to bear fruit. This year will be the second year the European Tour
Operator Teorema Tours will commence weekly non-stop charters from Milan,
Italy this coming April. Ongoing discussions with other U.K. and European
operators will continue at the upcoming ITB Trade Show in Berlin, Germany
from March 10 ≠ 16th, 2005.
Sea Arrivals
The Grand Bahama team is actively pursuing
increased cruise ship arrivals, and introducing methods to increase the
level of visitor expenditure, especially by cruise ship passengers. The
Ministry of Tourismπs prime objective is to convert cruise ship passengers
to either return for a longer land based vacation, or to recommend the
destination to family and friends.
The Ministry of Tourism fully appreciates
the true value of the cruise visitor, especially for the providers of ground
transportation, shop keepers in the International Bazaar and Port Lucaya
Marketplace, straw vendors, hair braiders, and providers of handicrafts,
restaurants and tourist attractions. We are working very closely with a
number of stakeholders in a strategic move to deliver more cruise passengers
to the island.
On January 26th, Discovery
Cruise Line welcomed the four millionth passengers to Grand Bahama Island. A
partner of long standing and unbroken service, Discovery Cruise Line
continues to distinguish GBI as the only destination in the region to offer
the choice of travel by air or sea for overnight visitors.
The Lucayan Cruise facility is forecasting
an active first and second quarter. During March 14 - 17, 2005 the Ministry
of Tourism/Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board will partner with the Harbour
Company at the upcoming annual Sea Trade Cruise Shipping Convention, held in
Miami Beach.
Groups and Conventions
Future Watch 2005, a comprehensive annual report recently
released by Meeting Planners International and American Express, indicates
the multibillion-dollar global meetings industry will again experience solid
increases in key economic impact indicators, including spending,
international travel, employment and training budgets.
A recent website report
featured comments by the Chairman of the Board of MPI who said in summary,
that MPIπs primary focus will be to allow the meetings industry to go to the
next level and make meetings a critical and valued part of the business
world.
The report indicated that
MPIπs goal is to create professional development pathways and resources to
evolve member careers toward positions of strategic understanding and
influence as follows:
1.
Aggressively pursue opportunities
to increase influence with those who ultimately oversee meeting
expenditures;
2.
Aggressively pursue opportunities
to increase influence with those who ultimately oversee meeting expenditures
by proving that meetings are a critical component of any organizations
success;
3.
And intensify business
opportunities for MPI suppliers.
Rotarians, the aforementioned are the goal
of Meeting Planners International for 2005.
Our goal is simply to increase the
percentage of visitors who travel to our island for meetings and conventions
from 15% to 25%.
Film
Commission
Disney Studios and Second Mate
Bahamas, Ltd. have started the process for the production of Pirates of The
Caribbean 2 and 3 which will be shot on Grand Bahama at Gold Rock Creek Film
Studio and White Cay, Exuma. Gold Rock Creek is now in construction of the
horizon tank to stage the battle scenes of the film. Additionally, crews
will be hired over the next few weeks to work on the tank and the film site.
On
Saturday, February 19th, Walt Disney Studios, under its production Company,
Second Mate Bahamas, Ltd. will stage a casting session for background
actors, (EXTRAS) for the motion picture production of "Pirates of The
Caribbean 2 and 3." The purpose of the casting call is to obtain as many
Bahamians from all walks-of-life to be used in the film.
The
Ministry of Tourism has transferred Ms. Donna Mackey to the Grand Bahama
Tourist Office to liaise with the production company on behalf of the
Bahamas Film Commission, with effect from today. Ms. Mackey worked very
closely with the production teams from "After the Sunset" in 2003 and "Into
the Blue" last year.
Local
Bahamian, filmmaker, Cornelius McKinney who has worked on such films as Zeus
and Roxanne and Second Chance, both shot on location on Grand Bahama Island,
has been hired by Disney to assist this effort. Bahamian EXTRAS will be
required to help complete the look of various scenes for both action and
non-action sequences. These will include male and female pirates, wenches,
servants, ships mates, military personnel, Lords and Ladies, Duke and
Duchess, including a host of characters from the 16th Century days of
Piracy.
Well
over 200 Bahamians are expected to be employed on this production in an
assortment of jobs, from skilled to unskilled laborers to technical people
working along with the Disney Production and other production people. Extras
are expected to be poised with strong facial and body language, even though
they are considered background cast, at times they may be required to take a
more lead position assisting the director(s) to set-up a particular scene
prior to the placement, or use of the main star.
The Bahamas Film Commission
and the Ministry of Tourism see this as tremendous opportunity to have this
production shot on Grand Bahama Island, as it will quicken the pace for
bonafide skill development and allow young Bahamians to grow as Gold Rock
Film Studio continues to expand.
Pirates of the Caribbean is
considered to be the largest film production in 2005-06, as no other studios
are making a bigger investment. Discussions are ongoing with Disney and
Second Mate to have Bahamians intern on this project to bring their
filmmaking skills up to international standards. These two films are
projected to be released in 2006 and 2007.
Additional film opportunities for Grand Bahama this year, includes
Globe Trekker, by a London based organization, which will be filming here
February 20 - 21; Areo Film, of California, recently shot a Gillette
Commercial with the Dolphins of UNEXSO on February 9 -13, 2005; as did
Saltwater Videos who conducted a photo shoot here, February 1 -6th.
2005 will be a
year of recovery for Grand Bahama Island. Mr. President and members of the
Rotary Club of Sunrise, I dare say that if the recent recovery effort of the
past few months is any indication of the industry's pace, perhaps our next
conversation in the not too distant future will be less about recovery and
more about expansion.
Thank you.
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