The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board's (NPIPB) chief executive says there has been a 67 percent year-over-year jump in visitor traffic to its website as it works to convert this increase into actual visitors.

Joy Jibrilu told Tribune Business that member properties are reporting a growing trend where website visitors are being transformed into actual bookings. She added: "For every 1,000 visits to the website that converts to about 170 bookings. So that's where we are excited. It's the conversions that are up as well, and we're really excited about that.”

Website conversions for the Promotion Board are people that click on its website and are then transferred to a member resort in hopes that they book a vacation. This is a prime indicator for the Board in assessing the quality of its marketing efforts and whether they are working.

Mrs Jibrilu said: “We're trending very well. Summer looks like it's going to be strong for our hotel partners. And for airlift, we’re having meetings with all hotels. They're all optimistic. They all feel very, very good. May has been a strong month, and traditionally May can be soft. We know June, July, even August can be soft, but now they're turning out to be strong months because of the family travel.

“So exciting news is good news. All the hard work is paying off. People keep saying pent-up demand and what have you, but Barbados isn't recovering at the same rate and there are other destinations that aren't, so it's about putting in the hard work and yielding results.”

The Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board has shed its COVID-19 strategy and is back to its normal marketing plan for New Providence. “We are way beyond that, way beyond that," Mrs Jibrilu said of COVID. "We're into marketing full on to how we would have marketed and seeing the strong numbers.

“Sandals, and I laughed at them when I heard from their general manager, but from their opening they've been seeing occupancies 90 percent and above. This is for Sandals Royal Bahamian and Nassau, and you know, they said May could be so soft but it's mid to high 80’s.”

"Prior to 2019 that would have been a strong month for us, but now we're looking at that as soft, and that just speaks to where we are right now. We continue to work towards airlift, making sure that there is sufficient here and just getting the message out and telling the stories, getting our message out in front of the right people so that we are front of mind for everyone else.”