The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net 

WHEN Simone Robinson-Walker’s financial status changed significantly several years ago, she recognised getting creative was the only way she could make a living for her family. Utilising her bilingual skills Simone started Bahamas A Sus Ordenes, a Spanish tour agency that assists non-English speaking visitors vacationing in the Bahamas.   

The Bahamas A Sus Ordenes is an agency that services persons who speak Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Russian, Mandarin and English. It provides airport transfers, specialised and personalised tours with bilingual guides, professional translation services and rental of equipment for such.

Simone was a tour guide on call for the Ministry of Tourism since 2008. In 2010, she completed the Bahama Host certificate course, and obtained her public service driver’s license. Later she began advertising her agency to hotels and the Ministry of Tourism.

“My upbringing in a bilingual home where my dad spoke three languages and our extended family from Mexico spoke no English when they visited, really instilled in me the need to entertain visitors to the Bahamas in their own language. Therefore, our parents made me study Spanish through cassettes at first as a young girl, and practice at home and eventually in high school and at college,” she told Tribune Woman.

Simone said when many non-English speaking visitors come to the Bahamas, they complain that there are not enough people able to communicate with them. Simone said she wanted her agency to fill that gap and provide one of the best experiences those visitors could possibly have.

“Many Spanish persons love culture and history so imagine them taking a tour in English and just saying ‘ah okay’ but not being able to ask deeper questions to fully enjoy that historical tour.

“Our establishment has also prompted others in the country to offer more to the foreign speakers especially the increased amount of Spanish and Portuguese speakers in their own language. In addition, more young persons and others who know the language have had the opportunity to earn extra funds when we hire them on a part-time basis. Our Facebook page is very active and shows how appreciated we are as our guests keep in touch with us even after a year after their visit. We have had numerous referrals that have come and looked for us based on their friends or family’s experience with us,” she said.

There was a definite need to formally establish the tour agency, since Spanish visitors recently tripled, she said.

“We needed recognition in the community as a professional entity, the establishment of standards and policies so as to set ourselves apart from a regular hustler and to become a part of the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association in order to be included in promotions by Ministry of Tourism and BHTA.

Simeon said their goal going forward is to have representation in every major hotel especially where foreign language speakers frequent.

“This would give other people who speak various languages a chance to earn some extra money and have fun doing so. We also hope to have more full time employees trained in at least three languages. Our ultimate goal is to be known worldwide for our service with excellent Spanish, Portuguese and in any given language,” she said.