BahamaHost Readies To Rebrand

The Islands Of The Bahamas’ top training program is getting a facelift as officials are rebranding BahamaHost using the theme “Protecting Our Culture and Heritage.”

 Established in 1978, BahamaHost is a signature program of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation aimed at giving tourism stakeholders like vendors, surrey drivers and others the tools needed to host visitors to the Islands Of The Bahamas. 

 Once rebranded, BahamaHost will operate a number of new modules including proud to be Bahamian; Tourism Today; the Bahamian service experience; foreign language training and empowerment.

 Director of Training and Education Ian Ferguson said the revolutionary program has trained thousands, but needs a game changer. 

 “It has consistently been that training force in the nation that has been really preparing and empowering our people to serve visitors coming in from around the world,” he said.  

 “Tourism is a very dynamic sector. It is ever changing and so as the world changes, the industry changes. So there is a need to re-engineer and think about what is priority. This is why we ask our participants after every three years to come back.”   

This month, BahamaHost is holding a number of events to launch its rebranding initiative.

On September 9th, there was a nationwide church service at St. Barnabas Anglican Church. 

While in attendance, Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar said BahamaHost is sorely needed.

“I hear too many stories about locals who go into business places and feel slighted that they do not receive the same quality of service that is given to tourists. This ought not to be. If we get customer service right with our local customers, then serving our foreign guests with excellence will become second nature,” Minister D’Aguilar said. 

“The BahamaHost Program is administered by a team of professionals who are committed to training and equipping those who work in our number one industry with the skills and the knowledge to become consummate tourism professionals.”

On September 19th, there will be a Leadership Edge course at the British Colonial Hilton; followed by a staff development retreat, school speaker circuits on September 24th and a Tourism Symposium at Baha Mar on September 27th. 

Ferguson said the Tourism Symposium is open to all and urged persons to be a part of it.

“Tourism is still everyone’s business. We are looking for everyone to come and join us and we will hear from the best of the best. Industry professionals who are practitioners or vendors,” he said. 

Additionally, 40 persons who participated in BahamaHost will be honored at Government House.

“These are definitely people who have contributed to the training and education of people in our country,” Mr. Ferguson said.