Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation Top Executives Meet with Global Sales & Marketing Team to Chart a New Course for the Tourism Industry

NASSAU, The Bahamas - July 12, 2021- Under the theme “Charting a New Course in the Future Development of Global Tourism – Forward, Upward, Onward, Together,” top executives of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation met with the organization’s global sales and marketing team to discuss the future of the tourism industry in The Bahamas and the integral role that the team plays.

The Minister of Tourism & Aviation, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar; Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Travis Robinson; Permanent Secretary, Mr. Reginald Saunders; the Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Mrs. Joy Jibrilu and the Deputy Director General, Mr. Ellison “Tommy” Thompson, joined Executive Director of Global Sales, Mrs. Bridgette King, for the three-day virtual event that assembled bright tourism professionals from across the Bahamas Tourist Offices and incoming members of the sales team. The event was held June 30 – July 2, 2021.

The Minister of Tourism & Aviation, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar, expressed that this meeting “will go on record as one of the most important gatherings of our sales force in the 50 plus year history of our organization.”

In attendance were members of the Ministry of Tourism & Aviation located in Nassau, as well as the sales and marketing global team representing major markets in New York, Atlanta, Florida, Houston, Toronto, Europe and Latin America.

Minister D’Aguilar spoke to the importance of the sales team and how they impacted the industry during the pandemic through their work in the digital space. He thanked members of the team leaving the market and welcomed new members who would be entering the market. Additionally, he reminded the team of their important call to action “to make it Better in The Bahamas” for both visitors and locals alike.

The Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Mrs. Joy Jibrilu, conveyed the importance of tourism being a “business” and reminded attendees that they are competing on a global stage.

Furthermore, Director General Jibrilu shared the revamped vision, mission and organizational priorities which were created to inspire, provide clarity and encourage efficacy within the organization and community. The Director General’s presentation encapsulated the general post-COVID reopening and recovery strategy, operational strategies, key considerations for re-entering the market and a travel protocol update. Attendees of the presentation also got a preview of the newly revamped advertisement campaign and individual island voiceovers featuring brand ambassador Lenny Kravitz.

The Executive Director of Global Sales and Marketing, Mrs. Bridgette King, who hosted the global meeting, highlighted the priorities for her sales and marketing team.

She charged them to continue working with airline partners and source leads, to rebuild relations and consciously build databases. Executive Director King stated that her team would continue to “leverage audiences to get the word out that we’re a safe destination and that we have 16 awe-inspiring islands.”

The team listened intently to panel discussions and presentations from various travel industry partners like American Airlines, Baleària Caribbean, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Sandals Resorts, Air Canada Vacations, Vacation Express, AAA, the Bahama Out Islands Promotion Board and the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board. The audience also had the opportunity to glean from their peers in the Administrative Operations, Sports, Groups, Verticals, Weddings & Honeymoons and Global Communications departments.

The 3-day event concluded with a dynamic competition featuring six teams, each comprised of five members of the Ministry’s global Sales and Marketing personnel. Each team delivered an articulate, comprehensive presentation addressing the future of the Bahamas Tourist Offices (BTO) in the next five to ten years.

Teams analyzed current industry challenges and the future acceleration and change of digital technology. They tackled issues like the relevancy and purpose of the BTOs, human resource needs, team size, technological advancements and the need for a physical location, among other factors. Teams had 20 minutes to present their ideas to a panel of judges. The winning team received prizes courtesy of Sandals Resort, which was represented at the virtual conclave by Senior Regional Sales Manager - West Coast, Ian M. Braun and Director of Industry Affairs, Alice McCalla.

Deputy Director General, Tommy Thompson, closed the event by congratulating the winning team and all participants.

The Deputy Director General described the gathering as “an amazing three days” and remarked, “I am pleased with the caliber of leaders coming up and know that the industry will be in good hands.”

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MEDIA CONTACT

Ianta Stubbs

Marketing Coordinator, Sales & Marketing

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation

istubbs@bahamas.com