#Nassau, July 9, 2019 – Bahamas – The tourism and hospitality industry has the potential to create self-employment opportunities for those Bahamians with an entrepreneurial mindset, Minister of Tourism and Aviation, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar said.
“Beach and sea are our destination’s strongest selling points, so any
business that is beach or sea-based is guaranteed to be successful, with good
management, of course,” Minister D’Aguilar said.
Addressing educators attending the 16th Education
Industry Internship Programme, hosted by the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism
Association (BHTA) at Choices Restaurant, University of The Bahamas, Mr.
D’Aguilar outlined a myriad of business/economic/entrepreneurial opportunities
open to Bahamians in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
The Industry Internship Programme is a partnership between the Ministry
of Education, the Ministry of Tourism, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism
Association and the University of The Bahamas and was designed to provide
educators with hands-on experience in the tourism industry in an effort to
enhance classroom delivery.
Minister D’Aguilar said 6.6 million tourists visit the islands of The
Bahamas annually. He said the numbers present so many layers of operations and
opportunities involved in accommodating those guests.
“We have to welcome them, transport them, lodge them, engage them in
fun, memorable activities, rejuvenate them, provide retail opportunities for
them, and the list goes on,” Minister D’Aguilar said.
Minister D’Aguilar said additional business opportunities available for
Bahamian entrepreneurs range from adventure tours with a thrill to the wellness
industry, island-hopping excursions, authentic souvenirs, culinary tourism,
business opportunities linked to agriculture and fisheries – particularly as it
relates to organic products, and family entertainment, among others.
“Visitors tend to travel with their families meaning that we need more
businesses catering to family entertainment,” Minister D’Aguilar said. “What is
there for visitors to do when it rains? Emerging entrepreneurs, put on your
thinking caps. Visitors want mementos to show their friends that they’ve been
to The Bahamas, but not just any kind of mementos, they want high quality,
superbly crafted, authentic souvenirs. The raw materials for authentic
souvenirs are all around us, in our environment.
“Adventure tours with a thrill, tapping into the wellness market,
bird-watching, heritage tourism are all business ideas with lots of potential.
Then there is Volunteer tourism. There are a lot of conscientious travelers who
want to give back to the community in the host countries they travel to.
Imagine developing a vacation package that combines touristic activities and
volunteer work with a charitable organization or an agency that focuses on
caring for the environment.”
Minister D’Aguilar said Culinary Tourism is another area “ripe” with
potential.
“Ask Goombay House and any of the local tours that have integrated food
tasting. We need to feed the hundreds of thousands of guests who stay in our
resorts, hotels and guesthouses. Today’s travelers have a definite preference
for food made from organic produce. At this moment, we are importing close to
100 percent of the food consumed in the country. The field of agriculture and
fisheries is wide open for development. So is landscaping. One of the strengths
of our destination is that we have multiple islands. An excursion that offers
guests the opportunity to island hopis a winning business idea.”
Minister D’Aguilar said another development that bodes well for the
future of global tourism is the change in mindset of today’s traveller —
comprised in growing numbers of the under-40 age set, the millennials – who
view travel as a right, not a luxury. According to the United Nations World
Tourism Organization, international travelers will total 1.8 billion by the
year 2030.
“That means that one in five persons in the world is on the move,
traveling around the globe. More people today are traveling for leisure than at
any time in the history of mankind.”
“Come what may, they will travel.”
By Matt Maura
Release: BIS