By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

IMMEDIATE past Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) president Robert Sands says the country’s real tourism challenge is not a shortage of attractions but a failure to properly market and promote what already exists.

His comments followed criticisms earlier this week from trade unionist Freddie Munnings Jr, who said The Bahamas cannot fully benefit from record visitor arrivals unless attractions are developed outside cruise ports, resorts, and cruise line-owned islands. Trade Union Congress (TUC) president Obie Ferguson echoed those views, lamenting the absence of even a proper nightclub for tourists and questioning Tourism Minister Chester Cooper’s performance.

Mr Sands conceded there is room for new developments but stressed that visitors have a wide range of experiences beyond mega resorts and the Nassau Cruise Port.

“Many touristic opportunities exist,” he said. “It just requires the efforts and marketing and the promotion by those of us who want to see them encouraged.”

He highlighted projects by the Ministry of Tourism and the private sector that showcase Bahamian culture and history, including tours, interactive activities, sightseeing, and entertainment. He noted the $200,000 Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board restoration of the Queen’s Staircase in 2024 and pointed to the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas as the premier institution for Bahamian art, with plans under consideration to improve Villa Doyle.

He also said churches across the Family Islands and New Providence continue to offer historic religious tours.

Still, Mr Sands admitted that the state of Downtown Nassau undermines confidence in these attractions.

“I think what impedes or blinds some of the opportunities is that the current state of downtown maybe makes people feel that they’re not significant tourist attractions available,” he said. “Downtown, trust me, does need significant reinvestment.”

While many Bahamian businesses argue that visitors spend too much of their time at the Nassau Cruise Port, Mr Sands rejected the notion that locals are cut out of the tourism boom. He insisted that many tourists do explore beyond the port and urged entrepreneurs to position themselves better to capture that business.