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Bahamas Received Record Stopover and Cruise Visitors in 2018

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#Nassau, June 6, 2019 – The Bahamas continues to exhibit a level of tourism sector performance that has translated into positive economic growth for the country, Minister of Tourism and Aviation, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar told House Members, Thursday.

There have been historic increases in overall foreign visitor arrivals — stopover visitors and cruise visitors in 2018.

The Tourism and Aviation Minister reported that stopover visitors to The Bahamas grew by 16.7 per cent in 2018 over 2017. By comparison, global tourism visits increased by 6 per cent.

Delivering his contribution to the 2019/2020 Budget Debate that opened Wednesday in the House of Assembly (June 5), Minister D’Aguilar said the growth in visitor arrivals (within the past two years) has been nothing short of exceptional.

“In fact, I deemed 2018 a historic year for the Bahamian economy in that 6.6 million foreign visitors made The Bahamas their vacation destination –the most foreign visitors to come to The Bahamas in any one year in the history of this country!” Minister D’Aguilar said.

“In 2017, 6.1 million foreign visitors came to The Bahamas — almost half a million more visitors came to The Bahamas in 2018 versus 2017.

“Mr. Speaker, if you delve further into the numbers, you will see that The Bahamas was firing on all cylinders in its tourism sector in 2018.  If one were to look at the cruise stats, The Bahamas received almost 4.9 million cruise passengers or just over 13,000 every single day.  Approximately half of those 4.9 million cruisers were on itineraries that made two or three stops in The Bahamas.  So, those 4.9 million cruise passengers made 7.3 million visits to various destinations in The Bahamas in 2018 or 20,000 visits every single day.

“Never in the history of The Bahamas did we receive as many cruise passengers as we did in 2018.  And remember, Mr. Speaker, I stopped the payment of any rebates to the cruise companies to bring cruise passengers to Nassau and, guess what, Mr. Speaker, they kept on coming!  That should save the taxpayer $12 million a year!  It is amazing, Mr. Speaker, what happens when you get business people with sense running your government!”

Minister D’Aguilar said while the news as it relates to cruise visitors was fantastic and exciting, stopover visitor arrivals were “off the chain in 2018.”

Stopover visitors, Minister D’Aguilar explained to House Members, generally come to The Bahamas by air, take a taxi to their hotel, stay 3-to-4 nights in a hotel, shop in local stores, dine in local restaurants, gamble in local casinos and go on an excursions “touching Bahamians time and time again.”

“We love cruise passengers but we love stopover passengers even more since our studies reveal that they spend 20 times more that a cruise passenger. (And) So, when I stand here today and say that our stopover passengers grew by over 220,000 in 2018 or a whopping a 16.7% when compared to 2017, that is significant!”

Minister D’Aguilar said by comparison, global tourism visits increased by 6 percent to 1.4 billion visits.

“So, the world grew by 6 percent and The Bahamas grew by 16.7 percent.  Regionally, the Caribbean received 25 million visits in 2018 — down 2.3 percent in visits over the preceding year probably due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma and Maria.

“Once again, never in the history of The Bahamas did we have as many stopover visitors as we did in 2018.  So, a record in cruise visitors!  And now a record in stopover visitors!  Now you understand why I was named Caribbean Tourism Minister of the Year in 2018.  They simply could not pick anyone else!” Minister D’Aguilar added.

By Matt Maura

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C&W COMMUNICATIONS PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED AS ATHLETES “CHASE THE SUN”

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World Relays to be title sponsored by BTC, one of C&W’s local brands.

 

In just a few days, athletes from over fifty countries will converge in The Bahamas for the BTC World Athletic Relays Bahamas 24. C&W Communications, the parent company of BTC, is proud to be associated with this major event, which will see athletes from The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago competing for a place in the upcoming Olympic games in Paris.

Inge Smidts, CEO of C&W Communications, who also serves as Chair of the BTC Board of Directors will be in the stands to witness the highly anticipated relays. Smidts says, this was an event that she simply could not miss. “We are proud to support our Caribbean athletes, and we wish them well as they vie for a spot in the Olympic games.

The relays will be held one of in our markets, The Bahamas, and we are honoured to be the title sponsor of the event. The world relays represent the spirit of relentless courage and the willingness to succeed of the Caribbean people and of our business. Through partnerships like this we demonstrate our unwavering commitment to connect communities and change lives.”

In addition to its sponsorship of the event, Smidts says it was important that athletes, officials, and fans stayed connected during the games. “As a business we are focused on ensuring that our customers have access to faster, stronger, and more reliable connectivity, and we worked with our partners to make certain that athletes and guests remain connected.

We have offered e-sim cards, and we also worked with the major hotels to set up care centers to ensure that we address any connectivity concerns on the spot. Additionally, I am pleased to announce that BTC will provide free Wi-Fi at the stadium giving patrons and athletes the opportunity to share every riveting moment.”

BTC has hosted a special event just for the Caribbean athletes, at the newly renovated Queen’s Staircase in Nassau, a recently renovated historic landmark visited by thousands of tourists each day. This event gave athletes the opportunity to unwind, mingle, and to learn more about each other right before the competition.

This is the fourth time that BTC and its parent company C&W Communications have title sponsored the world relays. The BTC World Athletic Relays will be held at the Thomas A. Robinson Track & Field Stadium from May 4-5, under the theme, “Chase the Sun, from Paradise to Paris.”

 

 

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RBC appoints new Country Manager and Area Vice President for Turks & Caicos 

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RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Limited (“RBC”) is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kerryl-Lyn King-Henry as Country Manager and Area Vice President (“AVP”), Personal and Commercial Banking, Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).

In her new role as Country Manager and AVP, King-Henry will take on full responsibility for the bank’s operations, strategy, and development in the TCI market, with a strong focus on solidifying partnerships with the Government, regulatory bodies, and the local community.

King-Henry brings to the role a dynamism influenced by nearly 25 years of industry experience. Prior to her new appointment, she served as AVP of Business Banking in Trinidad and Tobago. She has held progressively senior roles within both personal and commercial banking, as well as various functional units.

King-Henry holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a specialization in Leadership, FinTech and Big Data Analysis, in addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Further enriching her professional profile, Kerryl-Lyn is a certified John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, Teacher, and Speaker. Her passion for leadership and development is matched by her commitment to community service, as she actively volunteers her time and leverages her professional expertise to mentor and support others. “

Kerryl-Lyn’s extensive experience and proven leadership capabilities make her the perfect choice to lead our operations in the Turks & Caicos Islands,” said Ericka Rolle, RBC’s Managing Director and Vice President, Personal Banking, The Bahamas and TCI.

“Her commitment to excellence, combined with a genuine passion for community engagement, aligns perfectly with our Bank’s purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper. We are excited to see the positive impact she will undoubtedly bring to her new role,” she added.

 

 

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Get your laugh on, March On show coming to Turks and Caicos with box office at IGA Friday and Saturday

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Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

After resounding success in the Bahamas, hit play ‘March On, The Story of Us’ has been inundated with requests to take their show on the road, and the first location they’ll be hitting is Providenciales Turks and Caicos with tickets on sale this weekend from May 3 to 5.

Magnetic Media spoke to Gea Pierre, playwright, who told us the TCI was a natural first choice for the cast and crew. 

“We started ‘March On’ in November 2023 and it was really an opportunity for us to tell a story, the story of the Bahamas and to encompass the nations that we have an amazing relationship with like the Turks and Caicos,” she continued “We really got a lot of people calling [for the play] from [the TCI], so much so we really had to pay attention.” 

The response to ‘March On’ at home and abroad was overwhelming.

“To say it went well is an understatement, even before we opened we got calls from Canada, from all over the US with people wanting us to come and perform.” 

And take the show on the road they did! Gea and her team have launched “March On: The Tour” and will be in Providenciales to perform on May 10th and 11th. It’s the first of a number of stops which include Nassau and several US locations. 

A ticket booth will be set up from today, Friday May 3 in the foyer of IGA grocery store beginning at 1 p.m. Friday and then again all day on Saturday, allowing residents to purchase with cash. 

Online tickets are available for purchase with credit cards. Then the full team returns on Friday, May 11 for the actual showing at 8 pm and their two showings on Saturday at 4pm and 8 pm. The venue is Brayton Hall, Providenciales under the patronage of Washington Misick, TCI Premier and First Lady Delthia Misick.

Describing the close familial relationships between the TCI and the Bahamas, for many on the crew it will be like coming home Gea told us, for others it will be a treat to visit for the first time, the places that their grandparents described. 

Tickets are only $60 for general seating and $75 for VIP seating. 

Gea maintained that the team wanted to keep the show as accessible to residents as possible.

As for why you should come out and see the play, other than the great price point:

“The way that people have responded to it is non stoplaughter, people have been moved to tears because there’s some emotion. It does not only lend to Bahamians. It’s a family drama, and anyone who’s ever been a part of a family is going to get something out of it, and something moving.”

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