By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A $13 million independent Bahamas tourism marketing campaign targeting the Asian travel market could net 30,000 visitors within the next three years, its developers said yesterday,

Region Direct Bahamas announced that it has selected Ivy Alliance Tourism Consulting as a strategic partner to assist in the first independent tourism campaign to promote the Bahamas in China.

The company is gearing up to roll out a campaign targeting affluent Asian travellers starting in the 2014 first quarter, ahead of the opening of Baha Mar.

Latrae Rahming, Region Direct Bahamas’ founder and chief executive, told Tribune Business the strategy would hopefully bring greater awareness of the Bahamas to the Asian market.

“We recognise the potential of the Asian outbound market and the importance of our tourism industry. Based on the consultations we have received, the Bahama is still a reputable brand in China and South East Asia. What this strategy will hopefully do is bring more awareness to the Bahamas,” said Mr Rahming.

“It is our belief that we may be able to get 30,000 Asian visitors in the next three years. We think that is realistic depending on how the Bahamas is received in the market.

“The strategy will involve airlines and travel agencies. This will help to reduce the Bahamas’ dependence on North and Central America for tourists. I think China and South East Asia can play a very pivotal role in filling the gap.”

Region Direct plans to release the ‘Bahamas Tourism 2020, a seven-year vision’, at the end of November. This, according to Mr Rahming, will create a framework over the next seven years, which will include industry best practices to aid in increasing the levels service and standards provided in the hospitality industry.

It will also support the expansion of Bahamian entrepreneurship in the tourism industry.

And Region Direct will announce its campaign ‘The Perpetual Isles of June’, designed specifically for China and South Asia. The campaign will target India, Dubai, China and Singapore as primary countries for outbound tourism.

“It’s a seven-year plan. It’s only a stop gap measure to prevent the further decline in our tourism product,” Mr Rahming said.

“Once we would have evaluated the results, that will determine whether we expand the plan. I think the China promotion will cost roughly $13 million, although it may exceed that, depending on how it is all planned and executed. The consumer research cost us $100,000 already.

“I think the Bahamas has the ideal product mix. I think the timing is pivotal. Baha Mar, which is set to come on stream in late 2014, for example, is one of the resorts that we will have that is really tailored, especially when you looking at the gambling aspect.”