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Last Updated: Apr 2, 2017 - 12:03:45 PM |
The Bahamas Tourist Office hosted a Bahamas night for German tour operators, travel agents and media. From left to right: Angelika Ardelt, BTO Germany; Claudia Majunke, BTO Germany; Head of Network Development, Condor, Jan Wilken Bellmann; Deputy Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Ellison Thompson; Director of Europe, Anthony Stuart; CEO, Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board Fred Lounsberry and Phillip Lightbourne, Majestic Holidays. Photo: Bahamas Tourist Office London
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Berlin, Germany – International promotions for The Islands Of The Bahamas for 2017 beginning at the world’s largest travel show ITB Berlin which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Deputy Director General for the Ministry of Tourism, Mr. Ellison Thompson made a major announcement during the travel show to German tour operators, travel agents and the German media. “A new direct flight serviced by Condor Airlines from Frankfurt Germany to Nassau will begin on November 6th. This flight not only services the German market but opens up the way for more visitors from Eastern European, Scandinavia and those flights to Germany from the Middle East,” stated Mr. Thompson.
The Deputy Director General spent two days in business meetings with tour operators, hoteliers, journalists and travel agents; one of the main focuses was to expand the benefits of Condor’s direct flight from Frankfurt into Nassau for November. “The two days at ITB has been very busy, there has been major German tour operators and those from Scandinavia, Sweden, Denmark that we have met with. We realize that these operators are excited about the new direct flight which will be a weekly service, and since that news they have received more interest in The Bahamas and seen increases in bookings,” said Thompson.
ITB Berlin 2017 featured some 10,000 exhibitors from 184 countries and regions and more than 100,000 visitors to the show. Photo: Bahamas Tourist Office London
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Kerry Fountain, Executive Director of The Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board also part of the team in Berlin represents some 45 Bahamian Family Island hotel properties in 11 different islands. “It was critical to be in Berlin for ITB this year, especially with the new direct flight from Frankfurt. The information I hope to take back to the members of The Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board will put them in a better position to be prepared for November. We want for those visitors to escape Nassau and visit the Family Islands, go to Cat Island, Exuma, Long Island, Andros. So right now there is a promotion on. What we’re telling them is once they get into Nassau and book a Family Island hotel for four nights one airline ticket is free, if they book seven nights at a Family Island hotel, two persons fly free,” stated Mr. Fountain.
Mr. Fountain also met with travel operators who are looking for specific activities for their travellers including diving, fishing, canoeing, nature walks and bird watching. “Some of the key things for the Family Island hotel properties will be to submit their room rates in a timely manner and provide added value at their hotel. In most of the meetings I’ve had, the Europeans are looking for all-inclusive properties and I believe that even Family Island hotels that may not provide that could find ways to make it happen. Having the Family Islands reap the benefits from this market is important to us,” stated Fountain.
The team of tourism officials at the meetings included Deputy Director General, Ellison Thompson; Director of Europe, Anthony Stuart; CEO, Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, Fred Lounsberry and Executive Director of The Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board, Kerry Fountain. Photo: Bahamas Tourist Office London
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Karen Cruitt, Vice President of Leisure Sales at Atlantis Paradise Island touted a re-conception and revitalization of the Atlantis property that will provide new experiences for visitors and meet demands of the market. “This year’s ITB has been the busiest I’ve seen so far. We’ve had good discussions, and under the leadership of our new president we are infusing more funds into Atlantis and revamping our entire property with a vision of a new Atlantis. The Beach Towers in 2018 will be an all-inclusive product, the operators here are excited about it because the demand for all-inclusive is growing. We are completing the renovations for the Coral Towers with the same designer of the Cove; that work will be completed in June. There will also be exciting additions to The Cove and those announcements will come later,” said Ms. Cruitt.
Anthony Stuart, Director of Europe for the Ministry of Tourism, explained that the travel partners in Germany and Europe in general has been educating these markets about the entire Bahamas and presents it as a package of 700 hundred islands which offers a diverse experience for travellers. “We’ve had a very strong showing of our partners from The Bahamas out to ITB Berlin this year. We’ve been working on this direct flight to Nassau from Frankfurt for about two years now. We had a direct flight out of Germany some years ago that we lost, but these efforts are to regain a stronger footing. One of the great things about this flight is that it links us to 30 feeder markets, including Eastern Europe, Russia, Poland, The Czech Republic, so it will bring more Europeans to The Bahamas,” said Mr. Stuart.
At centre; Executive Director of The Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board, Kerry Fountain (at right) CEO of the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, Mr. Fred Lounsberry during meetings at ITB Berlin. Photo: Bahamas Tourist Office London
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Deputy Director General, Ellison Thompson and Director of Europe, Anthony Stuart accepting a CTO Media Award on behalf of a German blogger who produced an article on The Bahamas. Photo: Bahamas Tourist Office London
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Deputy Director General, Ellison Thompson (at centre) poses with CTO Media Awards winners in Berlin, from left to right: Manuel Imre, Ursala Scheer, Vivian Pasquet and Sven Schneider. Photo: Bahamas Tourist Office London
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