Sun, sand and sea are readily available to anyone searching for
escapism. The Greek
Isle, South
Pacific, Teiner Reef, and the Caribbean provide exceptional splendor. According to Hu and Ritchie (1993),
“scenery, climate, availability, quality of accommodations, and local people’s
attitudes toward tourists were evaluated as the four attributes which were most
important to the attractiveness... for recreational vacation experience.” After
analyzing the customer experience here are the three take-aways from my time
abroad.
Not all islands are created equal
Many island hoppers may state “if you’ve seen one island, you’ve
seen them all”. I would argue that the four qualities Hu and Ritchie mention as
most important are precisely what make each island unique. The Bahamas offered
a mixed bag of attitudes.
On one hand we had Leona aka “Big Mama”, an exceptional driver and
tour guide that went out of her way to ensure we had more. On the other, we
encountered several drivers just looking to nickel and dime us. The service
standards were average at best and then there’s the value for money spent. The
Bahamas are extremely expensive to visit and enjoy making “value for money” a
pressing issue. But because the island has benefited from its proximity to the
US it’s had no incentive to evaluate their approach to tourism and its costs
relative to its neighbors.
The Bahamian
government plays a large role in success and failure
Confidence is key
even when selling the attributes of your city or country. But can one be
confident without proper investment? Investments in infrastructure, small
business, and other systems that allow for it to thrive sustainably. We
concluded through lectures, speaking with local business people and citizens,
that the government hasn’t confidently positioned itself. Instead it waits for
others –like the Chinese investors, IMF or WTO which will only serve to enslave
the country by debt. My supposition is that they invest in serious research
about the marketability of the island and its citizens to get a true sense of what
motivates people to visit, stay and return. A simple and free example is the
exit survey on the back side of the customs form. I wasn’t asked to finish mine
when I checked in for my return flight. Also, the questions were limited to
general questions or categories—what did you do? Beaches, tour, get married,
etc. None of this gives the ministry information on additional ways to profit
from its natural resources, heritage and other points of interests. For
instance, the island of Nassau takes roughly 1.5 hours to circle with traffic.
What if there was away for islanders to take advantage in a safe yet profitable
way?
Reaching Clifton Heritage Park (arguably the most important site
on the island because of its significance to the slave trade in the 18thcentury) takes only about
30-45 minutes from cruise docs. The government can leverage its attraction with
the cruise lines and hotels for cultural tours of Clifton, the historical
Junkanoo World and more for an incredible uptick in revenues. But, without
taking the time to invest, the opportunity is lost. The Bahamian government
will have to do what’s in its long-term best interest by changing its surveying
practices to obtain detailed information on the motivations of its visitors if
it wasn’t to generate higher revenues and increase wealth over time.
The culture is
the main attraction
I’ve come to the realization that I have no reason to go to any
island if not for the amazing people it’s known for. After all, the authentic
experience is what drives me to pay for the expensive flights—the festivals,
history, architecture, eating the food, understanding their cultural and even
the hair braiding. Studies show visitors will pay and upwards of 150- 200% more
to live it briefly. Instead, I was awfully disappointed to encounter the overt
commercialization of the island, the incessant pestering of unlicensed vendors.
I really hope the ministry will reevaluate and incorporate more authenticity to
the customer experience.
In sum, each
island provides is own unique chance to escape, relax and learn. All islands
aren’t equal. There are nuances that make them special and it’s their culture
that they willingly allow us to exploit for our enjoyment. But the government,
tourism boards and the people must invest in themselves beyond capturing the
low hanging fruit. I plan to continue exploring them to find the ones that will
entice me to be a repeat visitor.
