BAHAMAS MINISTRY OF TOURISM & AVIATION AND ROYAL BAHAMAS POLICE FORCE STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIP
NASSAU, Bahamas, February 2021 – The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation (BMOTA) seeks to strengthen its partnership with the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF). This objective was at the top of the agenda of a recent meeting between Dr. Kenneth Romer, Executive Director, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation and Commissioner Paul Rolle of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, as they engaged in a critical stakeholder meeting at the Police Headquarters.
During the meeting, Dr. Romer updated Commissioner Rolle on the national and global tourism outlook and underscored the importance of strengthening the relationship among tourism stakeholders.
According to Dr. Romer, “The new COVID environment and the accompanying realities it brings make it imperative for all of our tourism partners to take greater ownership in the fight for us to maintain our competitive advantage as a global industry leader, as we consistently explore new opportunities to innovate our product and service offerings. We must play to win, instead of simply playing not to lose”. Dr. Romer advanced the notion that more than ever, visitors want to ensure that the destinations they come to are safe, and therefore, the policies and personnel of the RBPF are critical links in supporting the destination marketing, management mandate and initiatives of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation.
Commissioner Rolle highlighted several new initiatives advanced by his organization to further support the country’s number one industry, since he assumed the leadership rank on March 2, 2020. According to Rolle, “The RBPF takes seriously its vision to make The Bahamas a safer place to live, work, visit and play. Our national policing plan, the strategic assignment of officers and the disbursement of our resources are all reflections of our commitment to work together with Tourism for a safer Bahamas.”
Rolle further revealed a number of dynamics currently taking place within the ranks of the Police Force: The Tourism Policing Unit has been reenergized and strengthened with a record- breaking number of officers specifically assigned to the main touristic areas. One of the Force’s key management strategies is to focus on the prevention of crime as opposed to responding to crime, in an effort to reduce incidences committed against visitors and residents. The public can expect to see increased police presence with more innovative approaches to visitor interactions, as well as more robust police patrols and oversight utilizing both technological and traditional measures. Furthermore, Commissioner Rolle pledged to provide additional resources to support the Visitor Relations & Safety Unit at BMOTA.
Both Dr. Romer and Commissioner Rolle agreed that the evolving nature of the tourism industry requires ongoing training around global best practices as it relates to crime management and visitor safety and relations. Towards this end, the Ministry of Tourism & Aviation will partner with the RBPF to facilitate visitor-centric training for selected officers throughout the entire Bahamas, who are at the forefront of visitor interactions.
According to Dr. Romer, “One of the Key Organizational Priorities of the BMOTA is to inspire visitors to return to The Bahamas as lifelong Brand Ambassadors. They will not return to a Bad Show. Therefore, inspiring their return is a shared priority, and we need all of our strategic partners to view themselves as a valuable extension of our Tourism Family. In this new era, Tourism must truly become everybody’s business.”
Accompanying Dr. Romer from Team Tourism were Vincent Harris – Director of Visitor Safety/Sites & Facilities and Bernadette Saunders – Sr. Manager, Visitor Relations.
Photo Caption:
Dr. Kenneth Romer, Executive Director Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (BMOTA) and Mr. Paul Rolle, Commissioner of Police, Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF)