Mental Note to Self: 3 Take-Aways for a Winter Study-cation

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 18^thcentury) 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.