The Bahamas sought to build on the more than 60 percent increase in boating visitors over the past three years through its presence at the Palm Beach International Boat Show.
Joy Jibrilu, the Ministry of Tourism’s director-general, said recent growth was “just the beginning or tip of the iceberg”, and added: “We are all behind this and all over this to do everything we can to continue to grow this business.”
The Boat Show took place from March 28-31 at the downtown West Palm Beach waterfront, featuring more than $1.2bn worth of yachts and accessories. Boats present ranged from eight-foot inflatables to super yachts near 300 feet in length.
“Coming here and seeing a boat show of this magnitude, (and) getting to see first-hand not just all the companies that are here, but the boats that range from the leisure boats to the mega yachts, and the volume of people coming in and talking business and doing business, is just phenomenal,” Ms Jibrilu said.
“The beauty of this type of business is that when these yachts come to The Bahamas, they come with a crew. They stay in port, they buy provisions, they pay for people to come in and service and clean. The trickle down impact is far reaching.”
Richard Treco, senior manager at the Bahamas Tourist Office in Florida, who is responsible for the country’s boating market, said the Palm Beach Boat Show was very important despite not being one of the largest.
He added: “The show draws high-end boaters, has a mega yacht section with many of the ‘big hitters’ in the boating industry, and exhibits featuring the latest electronic devices such as state-of-the-art GPS and satellite systems, all speaking to the affluence of the crowd it draws.”
Mr Treco led the team from The Bahamas Tourist Office at the show. The Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) was also well represented by its president, Peter Maury, and Board members Joe Devarage and Stephen Kappeler, as well as executive director, Basil Smith.
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