By Dave Curry
NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Tourism is everybody’s business. I believe this with my whole heart. Nassau Cruise Port keeps bringing in huge numbers of visitors to The Bahamas, and that is good news for all of us. We are the front line when it comes to tourism, all of us. Those cruise passengers support our country – whether it is through the taxes they pay to visit or the places they go when they explore.
This isn’t a competition between cruise lines and hotels – whatever way visitors come here, they want to see us at our best, and as a country we should want them all to thrive.
I run Simply Dave Tours, and I literally have a front row seat to see all the businesses they support – the small businesses, the guides, the craftspeople, the artists, the restaurants and bars, the landmarks around our islands.
I see them going to the art gallery and to museums, to take part in experiences and to make memories.
Every place they go benefits from that support, from the purchases the visitors make, and the money that is spent – but also in the connection that is built.
I followed in my father’s footsteps in this industry, he runs Big Bubba’s Tours, and we have both seen repeat visitors over the years, some of whom have become good friends. For some visitors, these trips are a once in a lifetime experience. For others, these trips are part of the life they want to live over and over.
Not only do I see visitors as I carry them to wherever they want to go, I hear what they have to say. I hear when they have good things to say about somewhere they have visited, and I hear when they sometimes have something not so good to report.
The places that get good reports get repeat visits, it is as simple as that. There is nothing quite like hearing people talking to one another and saying oh man you have to go see this place, it was great.
I have shared my story at welcomeashore.org – and people can share their own views there too, so others can know what works. That is what I mean when I say we are the front line.
We can thrive by our own actions, and make friendships along the way. What we need to keep doing is building those relationships – the friendships between businesses on the shore and the same with those arriving by sea.
That’s why I say it is everyone’s business. It is not just doing it alone, it is joining hands and working together. This is the answer to maximizing the potential of the industry and creating even more win-win opportunities.
The more we can do that, the better it is for all of us.
