Top Three Bahamas Course Takeaways

As an International Affairs major, I have never taken a course that has delved into the topics of tourism and hospitality and I knew that I was in for a considerable amount of experiential learning. Nonetheless, I could have never imagined the depth of knowledge that I would truly gain through my experiences during this course. There are three main course takeaways that I have obtained through my time in the Bahamas.

The first takeaway that I gained from this course was centered around participant observation in restaurants with regards to quality and service. Before when I dined in an establishment, my main focus was on the quality of the food and on the general service given throughout the evening. Never before did I focus on the pre-visit reservation phone call, how long it took to be seated, or the length of time it took for my food, drink, and check to be delivered. I also never really took into account the interior decor and music of the restaurant and if it fit the establishment’s cultural experience. Now when I analyze my experience at a restaurant, I will always consider aspects of my overall experience that I previously would not have paid attention to.

The second takeaway that I obtained from this course was a greater understanding of and appreciation for local culture. Before I came to the Bahamas, my dad warned me that everything in the Bahamas was on “island time” and a little bit slower than I would be used to. Little did I know that our lunches would average 2 hours and dinner would sometimes take around 3 hours. At first, I was frustrated by how long it took for our food to arrive and confused this type of service for poor service, but I later came to realize that this speed of delivery was just a part of the Bahamian culture. After learning to appreciate this aspect of my experience, I later began to enjoy the longer dining experiences as a way to relax and get to know my classmates better. I have now learned that whenever I travel again in the future, I should let myself expand out of my normal bubble and take the time to understand the culture around me before letting my inner frustrations potentially ruin my experience.

The third takeaway that I gained from this course was how useful engaging with other travelers is when analyzing tourist destinations. The peak experience interviews that I conducted during my attraction visits, restaurant experiences, and the Junkanoo festival illuminated aspects of each experience that I was unaware of beforehand. An example of this was when we went to the Pompey Museum of Slavery & Emancipation, I spoke with a lady who mentioned how she would recommend that the museum incorporated more interactive exhibits, which was something that I previously had not thought of but fully agreed with. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with other individuals and now fully understand the importance of these interviews.