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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Ministry of Tourism Updates
One of the Top Producers of Day Trippers to Grand Bahama and Bimini PLANTATION, Florida – Ziad Hidmi, owner of Admiral Cruises has been selling cruise packages to The Bahamas for more than thirty years, and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. In fact, the New Jerusalem native is one of the top producers of cruise business to Grand Bahama and Bimini Islands. A master interior designer and decorator, Ziad said he first visited Grand Bahama Island, via Sea Escape, after moving to Miami more than thirty years ago. He said, “I immediately fell in love with the island and its people and decided that I wanted to further promote and sell it”. In 1988, Ziad opened a travel agency in Sunny Isles, Florida and committed to sell The Bahamas exclusively. He did so first via Sea Escape, then Imperial Majesty to Nassau, Discovery Cruise Lines, The Cat and now through Balearia Caribbean, FRS Caribbean, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and Celebration Cruise Lines. According to Ziad, despite environmental setbacks deriving from storms in the Caribbean in 2017, he sent 28,000 persons to Grand Bahama, 26,500 to Bimini and 3,800 two- day cruisers. Based on current trends and bookings, he projects that 2018 will far exceed previous years’ bookings.
“The passion, loyalty and commitment Ziad has for The Bahamas is incredible,” said Donna Mackey, Senior Sales Manager for the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation. “We are indeed grateful to him and his team, for their relentless vigor and determination to promote our country, but more importantly, to improve our economy in so doing,” she said. Ziad recently completed a film shoot in Grand Bahama that captured some of the island’s most alluring tours and sought-after activities. He also teamed up with the owners and operators of Balearia Caribbean Cruise Line and Grand Bahama’s Pirate’s Cove Zipline and Water Park, one of the island’s newest and popular tourist attractions to jumpstart its marketing and promotions in Florida. They recently wrapped two buses promoting the ship and the beautiful waters of The Bahamas and are in the process of wrapping a third bus, featuring Grand Bahama’s eco-tours. “These initiatives are proving beneficial for us,” he said. “We have already seen a 60% increase in business for the first three months in 2018 and based on these current trends and bookings, we project that our year-end numbers will far exceed bookings in previous years,” he said.
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