Sun, Sand and Sea

by Simon

Along with our strategic location and stability, The Bahamas is a generally prosperous country because of the sun, sand and sea on which our tourism industry is built.

It still amazes that many who should know better, including in the media, still do not understand the extraordinary and sustained benefits of tourism to The Bahamas.  Similarly, many do not understand what diversification actually means, and how the country continues to diversify within the tourism sector and beyond. 

For example, Inagua has near full employment though it generates relatively few dollars from tourism.  Its salt industry is an example of economic diversification within The Bahamas.

Still, the benefits the country receives from tourism have made The Bahamas a successful small island state, with a strong and large middle class.  We have quite a bit of sun, sand and sea in an archipelago rivaling most of Caricom in terms of geographical reach and territorial expanse. 

Barbados for example, can easily fit in several of our islands.  This is not meant to disparage Barbados.  It simply acknowledges that, “God ain’t makin no more land”, and that we have plenty of it.  While the populations of Barbados and The Bahamas are roughly the same in size, we dwarf this Caricom partner in terms of land and marine resources. 

Our bountiful swathe of real estate sits in a prime location.  In significant ways, we have just begun to tap the potential of tourism, the world’s largest industry.  “The Islands of the Bahamas” is more than a slogan.  It is a shrewd statement of fact and describes a comparative advantage.  It should also be source of inspiration.

DIVERSIFICATION

During his island-hopping, the recently-caught American Barefoot Bandit may have provided the Ministry of Tourism with an unexpected marketing boost.  Around the world many have heard of Abaco for the first time, and are getting a travel lesson about the country’s archipelagic diversity.

Relatedly, opportunities for diversification and growth within the tourism sector are as expansive as the archipelago, stretching from Abaco to Inagua.  Our cays and islands are distinct laboratories for innovation and imagination.

Along with other successes and tourism services, Abaco is developing a model for heritage festivals.  Properly fine-tuned for other Family Islands, this model can add tremendous value to our tourism product throughout the archipelago.

Inagua’s tourism potential is extraordinary.  Imagine an eco-lodge and natural spa welcoming bird watchers, naturalists and adventure enthusiasts to a near virginal expanse with extraordinary natural beauty.  Next door is Little Inagua, the entire island designated as a national park. 

It is also the largest uninhabited island in the Caribbean, with protective reefs and surrounding waters home to conch which live so long that they apply for old age pension. 

Moreover, The Bahamas boasts a multiplicity of island groups on which to develop varying tourism services:  From the mega resort to various types of cruise facilities to yachting and adventure boating to remote island getaways at small boutique hotels with specialized visitor experiences.

Greece has a number of medium and smaller-sized cruise operators who transport scores of tourists throughout the Greek Isles.  The lengths of these journeys vary, with many of the cruises providing overnight accommodations for passengers. 

What are the possibilities for developing such inter-island cruises for the Isles of the Bahamas?  Such adventures may provide a broad array of marine, onboard and land-based experiences as tourists encounter various island groups. 

Despite what some of the ill-informed continue to spout, there is already diversification within the tourism sector.  Moreover, our overall economy is already diversified in significant ways. 

Again, it amazes that many of those who make noise about the need for diversification, fail to appreciate how much the country has already diversified since independence.  Two primary examples are located on Grand Bahama.  Our northernmost island boasts the largest cruise ship repair facility in the world and a major regional transshipment hub.

The recent graduation of 33 Bahamian scaffolders at the Grand Bahama Shipyard is yet another example of the type of skilled jobs for which Bahamians are being trained in an ever diversifying economy.

RESONANCE

Still, with all of the potential we have already derived from sun, sand and sea in terms of tourism, the potential of these resources remains enormous for tourism and other industries.  But they must be tapped in a sustainable fashion. 

The mantra of sun, sand and sea has resonance beyond tourism.  When we talk about sun we are also talking about airspace and a source of energy. 

Negotiations and preparations are ongoing for the creation of a Bahamas Flight Information Region.  This will redirect control of Bahamian airspace from the U.S. to The Bahamas.  The eventual transfer will generate significant economic opportunities for Bahamians including tens of millions of dollars which currently fly through and out of the country just as fast as scores of aircraft.

Sun also refers to a renewable source that the country will increasingly tap to provide for its energy needs while reducing carbon emissions and the amount of money we ship overseas to buy fossil fuels.

The dredged sand piled up on Arawak Cay, often measured in cubic feet or meters, is a valuable commodity for the construction industry. 

Sand from the banks can be measured by the price some in the Florida tourism industry would pay for Bahamian sand to replenish their beaches.  Sand also refers to the extensive amount of Crown Land held in patrimony for the Bahamian people, more of which in subsequent columns.

And, then there is the sea.  The Atlantic Ocean which bookmarks and courses through our archipelago is teeming with resources and opportunities.  This includes: fishing, various types of aquaculture, energy production, an abundance of maritime services, transshipment lanes and services, and pharmaceutical production, among others.

Sun, sand, sea and a strategic location have served as the basis for a sustainable and highly profitable tourism industry for The Bahamas. 

Within the tourism industry and through its linkages, The Bahamas economy continues to diversify.  Even more diversification is on the horizon as we tap the resources of sun, sand and sea in even newer ways.

Comments

[B.Clement Simms]

This is a very good article one of the best I have read in a while. I hope we the citizens of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas take. "We got it going on" We have vast potential let's take good and God advantage of it. We are blessed in so many ways