Baha Mar sets eyes on Asian market

Baha Mar sets eyes on Asian market
Baha Mar.

Tourism and Aviation officials are hopeful that discussions regarding the introduction of direct flight service between China and The Bahamas, via a Chinese air carrier, will soon materialize, according to Robert Sands, Senior Vice President of Administration and External Relations at Baha Mar.

Sands revealed exclusively to Eyewitness News that the Asian market has presented “much potential.”

His comments came on the heels of a marketing stint, executed by Baha Mar and the Ministry of Tourism in Beijing and Shanghai, China.

Resort executives are optimistic that increased numbers of Asian travelers will soon begin taking the trek west to experience what Baha Mar has to offer.

“China is aware of Baha Mar and The Bahamas,” Sands said.

“Bookings are growing and the Ministry of Tourism and the hotel sector are very optimistic that we will have an airline agreement in place shortly that will have some sort of direct or one-stop service to the destination.”

While Delta, United Airlines and Air Canada already provide routes to The Bahamas from Asia, Sands is optimistic that a direct flight – via an Asian carrier – could be in the pipeline.

On the heels of very robust summer arrivals at Baha Mar, Sands confirmed that Baha Mar is excited about expanding its reach into new markets.

“This plays well to our diversification and expanding the market of where the fish come from,” Sands said.

“Certainly, numbers are growing and will grow year after year. But, we must caution ourselves that it will not be an overnight success but certainly we see incremental increases year over year from this destination.”

Baha Mar currently boasts of three brands in its portfolio; Grand Hyatt, SLS and Rosewood.

Grand Hyatt was the first brand to launch during the final quarter of 2017.

SLS was launched during the first quarter of 2018 while Rosewood launched in the second quarter of 2018.

Increased tourist arrivals recorded by the Ministry of Tourism has been attributed to the introduction of the resort to the market.

Summer arrivals at Baha Mar surpassed forecasted figures and the winter season is expected to follow the same trend.

About Theo Sealy

Theo Sealy is an award-winning journalist who serves as senior broadcast reporter and weekend TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. He has achieved several career milestones, including his work as a field contributor with CNN, his coverage of four consecutive general elections, his production of several docuseries and his Bahamas Press Club Awards win for “Best Television News Story” in 2018.