The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMIAN travel services firm is hoping a joint venture partnership will draw up to 15,000 Chinese visitors to the Bahamas annually, its chief executive projecting it could deliver a $20 million tourism boost.

Latrae Rahming, Bahamaren’s chief executive, said the partnership with China Travel Service (CTS), which focused on mainland China and Hong Kong, would enhance the Bahamas’ position in that nation’s outbound tourism sector.

China Travel Service will begin the process of preparing summer packages for the Bahamas, and in September will also start packages for the opening of Baha Mar and the Chinese New Year’s Festival. CTS has also reportedly agreed to charter three flights into the Bahamas from China during the 2015 New Year’s Festival.

“The original target was 10,000 visitors, but our company has increased it to 15,000 as a result of new travel trends indicating a positive position for the Bahamas benefiting from its proximity to the US,” Mr Rahming told Tribune Business.

“The spend per Chinese traveller is roughly $8,000 per head, also considering the fact Chinese travel in groups. Calculating the average spend per head gives an annual projection exceeding $20 million into the Bahamian economy.”

“The Bahamas is very well positioned to leverage Chinese economic growth and to broaden the benefits of tourism flows to ensure continued prosperity for generations to come,” added Mr Rahming. “This will result in more foreign direct investment into the Bahamas, and will also lead to the Bahamas tourism product expanding into new markets, reducing our dependency on North America and Europe.”

Mr Rahming said most Chinese travellers book their vacations through travel agencies that customise the itinerary on their behalf. He added that Bahamaren’s partnership with CTS places the Bahamas as one of the top picks among travel destinations for Chinese travellers.

“China can be one of the Bahamas’ most valuable inbound tourism markets. This will expand the Bahamas reach and cut-through in the world’s fastest growing outbound market. This will provide greater access to Ministry of Tourism research and insights on the Chinese target customer.Companies will understand where and how to invest in their product to attract and retain Chinese customers,” said Mr Rahming.

He added, though, that there were some issues that could impact Chinese travel to this destination. “Among the issues impacting visitor satisfaction include the availability of Mandarin-speaking guides and relevant product for Chinese visitors. Many travel organisations have complained about the lack of tourism services in the Bahamas for the Asian traveller,” Mr Rahming said.

“A Chinese tourism boom in the Bahamas will leave hotels and tour operators scrambling to adapt. They will need to hire Mandarin speaker and also change their restaurant menus. Most big hotels, museums and attractions will have introduce special Chinese cultural-awareness training for staff, including learning basic Mandarin, as well as how to welcome customers and bid them farewell,” said Mr Rahming.

“A direct flight is unlikely considering there’s no demand at the moment. A non-direct flight is a disadvantage for the Bahamas when competing for the Chinese traveller, who is very sensitive to losing days during their vacation. Currently there are direct flights into Canada and the US, which has direct flights into the Bahamas. A healthy aviation environment will be critical to our success in China. More planes, with more connections to more destinations in the Bahamas, aligned to the geographic strategy, will be essential to bring the increase in economic value to the Bahamas.”