Business View Caribbean, July/August 2018

6 7 OPENING LINES that features suites, villas, hotel rooms and res- idences in a work/play environment of the 700 islands of The Bahamas.World-class art is every- where in a mosaic of culture, rich history, and won- derful sights of The Bahamas.The StrawMarket has unique Bahamian souvenirs. Junkanoo Fest and Feast is a must that adds to the folklore that “every Bahamian is an artist”. Nassau-Paradise Island has something for everyone, just 180 miles off the coast of southern Florida and less than a three-hour flight from NewYork and Toronto.There has been a strong response to market influence. Sunwing re-entered the Toronto market,while bothWestJet and Air Canada are increasing seats and load factors. NPIPB Chief Executive Officer, Fred Lounsberry, reinforced the response,saying,“The Bahamas is an easydestination to get to fromToronto and Cana- dians like to come toThe Bahamas.”For the avid Canadian traveler,this is perfect,if not a seamless lifestyle getaway toThe Bahamas’pristine beaches, warmweather and a complete lifestyle experience of sophisticated metropolitan living. In keeping with destination trends,Nassau’s route network and capacity is expanding to meet the needs of everyone in need of a shopping and lifestyle destination, adventure and relaxation, his- tory and culture, translucent water and activities, eco-tourism, sports and fitness in the sunshine, or just exploring what’s new in a paradise lifestyle. This is in sync with NPIPB’s marketing strategy and tactics, inclusive of national and target mar- ket TV; interactive marketing; public relations; consumer and trade promotions; travel industry marketing; group,meetings and incentive market- ing and sales; tourism infrastructure; hospitality training; government relations. Destination marketing initiatives, public rela- tions and media results are creating sustained awareness and interest with consumers through- out 2018,with 79 strategic placements of $1.5 million ad value.The intent is to cultivate consum- er interest, pulling consumers into the conversion mindset, capture current and incremental demand through lower funnel initiatives. The goal for 2018/19 is 300,000 incremen- tal visitors via core motivators, newvisitors and return/lapsed visitors.Year to date media perfor- mance is up 55 percent vs. the previous year and up 13 percent vs. the goal.Media performance, year to date, resulted in search demand for both The Bahamas and Nassau seeing top growth amongst competitors, and significantly greater than the Caribbean as a whole, January to May. The media performance visit goal is on a path to sixmillion in 2018 and eight million for 2019. Beyond 2019,NPIPB is looking towards the Pointe development–a $250 million project that is expected to create 250 jobs during construction and 500 jobs thereafter.The Pointe development is expected to contribute approximately $750 million to Bahamian GDP over 20 years.