THE Ministry of Tourism officially started its Golden Jubilee celebration with a national service of thanksgiving at Christ Church Cathedral yesterday.

The mass, which began at 9.30am celebrated the Promotion of Tourism Act, which brought the ministry into being.

The Act came into force in 1964, replacing the Tourism Development Board as the principle promotional and branding agency for the Bahamas.

It provided for the appointment of a Minister of Tourism, a corporate structure and a budget, with the mandate to aggressively promote tourism internationally.

This new strategy is credited with catapulting the Bahamas from a mere winter destination to international prominence as one of the premier year-round tourism destinations in the world.

Tourism spending eclipsed the $1 billion mark in 1986, and the industry today accounts for more than 60 per cent of the nation’s economy and jobs.

In commemoration of the 50-year anniversary, Prime Minister Perry Christie has declared 2014 the “Year of Culture”.