By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A Family Island resort operator yesterday stressed that tourism stakeholders must work together for the success of the destination as a whole, while calling for more nature-based offerings.

"There are some barriers that we need to get over," said Jeff Birch, owner of the Small Hope Bay Lodge and a past president of the Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board (BOIPB). A presenter at the Andros Business Outlook conference, he told Tribune Business: "We need to help each other and not believe that someone in the same business is solely your competitor.

"If they do well, we all do well. If someone has a bad experience in the Out Islands they are going to speak bad about the Bahamas.

"We're all in the same boat now more than ever. We need to support each other locally and, through the Promotion Board, internationally."

Mr Birch also urged support for Bahamians in establishing nature-based tourism offerings.

"We need to work together to develop nature tourism and help local residents to develop nature-based businesses such as kayaking and day-away trips," he argued.

Mr Birch suggested that Andros has immense untapped potential to generate economic activity. "When you look at other developed areas of the country, Andros is just getting started," he said.

"We don't have a history of boats coming here, businesses being developed or people developing real estate.

"Andros was kind of left in the dark, but we have an opportunity to do it right and create employment for everyone who wants to be employed. In my view it's 100 Small Hope Bay Lodges and not one Atlantis."