From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
Bahamas launches phase one of major sustainability program
By Nikia Deveaux - Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
Feb 5, 2015 - 1:46:16 PM
SDAA partners meet with Ministry of Tourism Executive Team
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Tourism stakeholders begin destination
assessment exercise through its participation in the Sustainable Destination Alliance for
the Americas
Nassau, New Providence – This week, The Bahamas began the process of evaluating the sustainability
of Nassau’s tourism sector through its participation in the Sustainable
Destination Alliance for the Americas (SDAA), supported by Royal Caribbean
Cruises Ltd. and other partners.
Involvement in the program will
help The Bahamas to balance the protection and enhancement of its rich natural
and cultural assets, while managing long-term risk and appealing to the growing
tourism market interested in responsible management practices and authentic
travel experiences.
The Bahamas’ Director General
for Tourism, Joy Jibrilu, has noted, “Similar to the other nations in the
Caribbean and Latin America region, The Bahamas must ensure that tourism not
only acts as an economic activity that generates jobs, but tourism must also
serve as a catalyst to attaining strategic objectives such as community
development, cultural preservation, environmental sustainability and social
inclusion.”
The Bahamas has been blessed with an
idyllic natural environment, warm climate, vibrant culture, and friendly
people. These assets have enabled it to become the desirable and successful
tourism destination that it is today.
“As a small island developing state, The
Bahamas must consider the increasing competition in the global tourism market,
and act to ensure that the tourism industry remains strong and competitive. We
expect that the SDAA’s focus on sustainability, along with tourism management,
strategy and marketing, will enhance the future of our tourism industry,”
Jibrilu said.
“It’s important to have a positive impact in the places where we do
business,” said Rich Pruitt, Vice President, Safety and Environmental
Stewardship, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “We want The Bahamas to thrive, and
becoming a more sustainable destination is critical to that.”
The Bahamas will undergo a
three-step process through its participation in SDAA. The first phase began on
Monday with a visit from Alliance implementation and convening partner
Sustainable Travel International.
Lead assessor Seleni Matus is
working closely with Bahamas stakeholders on Sustainable Travel International’s
signature Rapid Destination Diagnostic tool. This phase brings key stakeholders
in the tourism industry together to evaluate and assess the destination.
The evaluation guides
stakeholders to develop a snapshot of the destination’s performance on 118
internationally recognized sustainability indicators. Once complete, the
assessment will outline good practices, risks and opportunities, as well as
recommendations for improvement, implementation and capacity building.
Matus will return to The
Bahamas in March to engage the nation’s tourism leaders in the second step, an action-planning
forum. This gathering will help the country’s stakeholders to validate
priorities from the first stage of the assessment, and design an action plan to
tackle identified “quick win” projects.
In the final phase of SDAA, a destination-monitoring
framework will be created for The Bahamas through the development of a
proprietary digital Destination Management System (DMS). Collected data can be
input into this system, providing the tools to develop customized measurement
reports and report on successes.
Additional support will be
offered to educate and train stakeholders on sustainable tourism practices, and
to craft enhanced market positioning focused on sustainability storytelling.
The full list of SDAA partners
includes Sustainable Travel International, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL), the Organization
of American States (OAS), Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the United
States Government through the United States Permanent Mission to the
Organization of American States, Central American Tourism Integration
Secretariat and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.
Left to right: Ellison Thompson - Deputy Director General - Ministry of Tourism; Jacqueline Ramsey - Director of Domestic Tourism - Ministry of Tourism;
Seleni Matus - Vice President Latin America & Caribbean - Sustainable Travel International; and
Miguel Pena - Sr. Analyst Sustainability Programs - Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
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About the Sustainable Destinations Alliance for the Americas
(SDAA)
The Sustainable Destinations
Alliance for the Americas (SDAA) is the first-ever large-scale multi-sector
initiative for sustainable tourism destinations in the Caribbean and Latin
American regions. The initiative aims to improve the way tourism is managed and
to enhance the global competitiveness of the region, by embedding
sustainability into the day-to-day management and marketing of destinations
throughout the region. To learn more, please visit http://sustainabletravel.org/SDAA
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