By Fay Simmons
Tribune Business Reporter
jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
A senior tourism official says The Bahamas' digital marketing efforts have generated a 40 percent increase in visitor "leads" for Cat Island and San Salvador hotels this fiscal year.
Latia Duncombe, the Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation's director-general, told the Cat Island Business Outlook conference that the profile of visitors to The Bahamas is changing and they now want more of what Family Islands destinations have to offer.
The ministry's bahamas.com website generated more than 300m forms of measured engagement last year, and reported a 40 percent increase for Cat Island and San Salvador. Mrs Duncombe also praised the success of content stories that have showcased eight islands so far.
She added: “There are thousands of digital images and island-specific campaigns, targeted marketing initiatives with direct potential to send all of the global community to our site where our visitors can explore detailed island overviews and plan their ideal getaway.
"We've generated more than 300m forms of measured engagement with our multi-digital platforms throughout last year in addition to generating brand awareness for each island. We send leads to our stakeholder websites and booking engines. This fiscal year, we recorded more than 5,000 leads for Cat Island to the individual hotels and 3,000 for San Salvador - a 40 percent increase from the previous year.
“Our biggest success however, was the impact we saw from the content stories released. Through captivating storytelling, we produced and present micro stories that delve into aspects of Bahamian culture, must visit attractions and renowned landmarks," Mrs Duncombe continued.
"I'm pleased to report that our efforts have already captured the essence of eight islands, including the beautiful Cat Island…In fact, the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation received several marketing awards and generated a 156 percent increase in hotel leads as a result of the story 'Sweet Cat Island'.”
Ms Duncombe said the people-to-people programme, which allows visitors to stay with locals and experience their daily routines, has been successful on Cat Island. She added: “Cat Island, quiet and unassuming but rich in treasure, offers an immersive cultural experience to the people-to-people programme where guests are hosted by residents and intimately involved in their way of life.”
The director-general said that in preparation for The Bahamas' 50th independence celebrations, the ministry's website and social media platforms have been updated with the associated logo. She added that the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation has hosted ten media trips with journalists from the US, the UK and Europe that have generated more than 2.65bn media impressions.
Mrs Duncombe said: “Moreover, as we are in celebration mode or golden jubilee of independence, we're utilising branding integration to include the 50th logo on our website and all of our social media platforms. We want to reach out to consumers and provide them with every opportunity to join us by partaking in our year-long independence activities on all of our islands, including Cat Island.
“Our PR coverage includes group and individual journalists, and influencer press trips that allow first-hand experiences of what the islands of The Bahamas offer. In 2022, there were 10 press trips with various visiting journalists from the US, UK and Europe. We garnered 2.65bn media impressions, 309 stories between features in international and digital papers, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today just to name a few.”
Mrs Duncombe said the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation will now use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve marketing results and capitalise on consumer behaviours. She added: “As we move forward in the digital space, the Ministry of Tourism advertising initiatives will now utilise artificial intelligence or AI.
"We're focusing on the optimal use of AI to capitalise on consumer behaviours. Our intent is to improve our marketing initiatives and increase our results by taking advantage of AI powered by Google..... The Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation is steering The Bahamas forward through strategic brand positioning. The ministry’s primary objective is to showcase The Bahamas and its unique make-up as a multi-island destination in the Caribbean.
"The visitor profile has changed and our visitors want more. More of what our family of islands has to offer, and the more that they seek is in Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador. As we've seen in a number of our global sales missions, we are executing our aggressive and strategic marketing plan as we continue to promote our destination, highlighting the distinct characteristics of each island.”
Mrs Duncombe added of the ministry's strategy: “Our three-pronged plan consists of increasing brand visibility, while simultaneously educating prospective guests on our multi-island offerings, promoting The Bahamas to consumers in the market for a warmer weather destination vacation and driving demand to our website, bahamas.com, producing leads for business listings.
“At the Ministry of Tourism, we capitalise on our positionality and create awareness for each island. This is achieved through our cohesive, multi-platform messaging across digital markets. Whether it's TV, billboards, banner ads and print ads, our global brand messaging includes content covering our culture, things to do on any and all of our 16 island destinations, our people attractions and landmarks.”
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