AFAR Magazine FAM Trip Provides Remarkable Experience
Nearly 50 journalists and guests of US-based award winning AFAR magazine were immersed in Bahamian culture recently during an extraordinary familiarization trip to The Islands Of The Bahamas.
This particular familiarization trip is a marketing gold mine for the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (BMOTA) as each of the publication’s founders, editors and content writers will write about their experiences in the destination, in articles, blogs and pieces which will reach over 2 million of the magazine’s subscribers.
AFAR content writers will also use social media and emails to promote The Islands Of The Bahamas.
Over several days, the group was able to see, taste and feel the culture of The Islands Of The Bahamas through experiences like a welcome reception at Educulture; a courtesy call to Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling at Government House; a Royal Bahamas Police Band beat retreat performance; lunch and a tour at Graycliff Resort; a People-to-People cooking experience; a reception at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas; painting on the beach with Antonius Roberts; a sailing experience and a beach party at the Mallis residence.
Many of the visitors have extended their stays to visit other islands.
Minister of Tourism and Aviation the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar said the goal of this trip is for millions to learn about The Bahamas’ story.
“This is the type of traveler that we want to attract. We want to tell them about how wonderful it is to come and visit The Bahamas, how amazing it is, how welcoming and warm the average Bahamian is. And now that they have experienced that in Nassau, they will experience that in other islands and I have no doubt that they will be blown away,” he said.
“Many destinations have great beaches. What we want to get out is the people and soul of The Bahamas. This is what makes The Bahamas special.”
Director General of Tourism Joy Jibrilu had similar sentiments.
“What this results in is scores of stories. The magazine will feature The Bahamas heavily in the year to come and it’s the type of publicity and the type of stories that we like to share,” she said.
“The beauty of having an experience like this is that they really learn about the true, true culture of The Bahamas. They also learn that The Bahamas is a multiplicity of islands. They have such a great experience here and they are saying, ‘Now, which is the next island I should visit?’ They have reached out to friends, they are already planning to come back. So we have achieved the goal that we wanted.”
AFAR Co-founders Greg Sullivan and Joseph Diaz were among the group and said The Islands Of The Bahamas is easy to promote because of its people and rich culture.
“There are so many stories here,” Diaz said. “When people think about The Bahamas, they think about the amazing beautiful waters and the beaches. But I think that there is just a lot underneath the surface. It’s such an amazing opportunity for us to be able to peel back some of those layers and share that with the rest of the world.”
“This country is rich in history, culture and culinary. So we are really trying to get off the proverbial tour bus and get to the kitchen table and in people’s homes and businesses. I think that there are so many other great things to discover.”
“Our travelers travel every day,” said Sullivan. “They are always looking to explore and see what’s interesting and I think our audience is going to love seeing what is below the surface here in The Bahamas.”
Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of AFAR Ellen Asmodeo said the group was more than happy to come to The Islands Of The Bahamas.
“The Bahamas has exceeded our expectations. The topography in The Bahamas is unmatched. Even if you take a half an hour swim – it’s a different place. The people of The Bahamas have been so gracious, so welcoming and so true to the heritage. We’ve learned more about people and that is something that you cannot find anywhere else,” she said.
Eric Lichtmess, a visitor who traveled to The Bahamas for the first time, said the experience has been inspiring.
“I think every moment has been remarkable. I’ve been to a lot of Caribbean islands but the energy here is different. We got to connect with locals and going to their homes has really made the difference.”