Travel Agents Say Grand Bahama is Perfect for Tourism Market in Germany
Agents are hopeful after seeing positive signs of recovery and development on the Island

FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – December 7, 2021 – The natural wonders of Grand Bahama have captured the hearts of 23 German travel agents who  travelled to the island  for a familiarization trip on December 3, to explore the island’s pristine  beauty and many attractions. They described the scenery as an “amazing mixture” of New Providence and the Out Islands, labelling Grand Bahama as a unique combination of the city and island life.

The contingent of German travel advisors, who targets tourism markets in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia and Central Europe, were separated into two groups and given site inspections at Pelican Bay Hotel, Old Bahama Bay Resort and Lighthouse Pointe Hotel. The travel agents ended their three-day familiarization trip    with exciting recreational activities  such as  kayaking on Gold Rock Beach, snorkelling with the turtles on Paradise Cove and swimming with the stingrays on Sandy Cay.

Representative of the Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation, Claudia Majunke, who is based in Germany, gave her personal impression of the island:

“I haven’t been to Grand Bahama for many years, and now, it was really important to rediscover the island.  We felt that after Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19, it was now the right time to reintroduce it to the German market”.

“While our travel agents are on the trip, they are obliged to post every day on their social media channels, meaning that, whatever they are experiencing, they share with the world in real time,  and we expect to have a very high reach across social networks. This is the objective of the fam trip. Having the travel agents come here to experience the beauty of the island firsthand will equip them to promote and sell the island now as well as in the future.”

Majunke expressed that, with The Bahamas being so far away, for the German traveller, a trip to our islands starts in the mind. On the other hand, she explained, in the American market, the Bahamas is like a home run, because the visitors have seen the islands multiple times. She said, “The moment a travel agent visits your island, they can start evoking those pictures in their mind. If a client comes to us and decides to go to Grand Bahama, we can tell them about those endless wide beaches, turquoise crystal clear waters and warm shine.”

Public Relations Officer Angelika Ardelt chimed in during the interview and remarked on   her love for East Grand Bahama, the island’s vegetation and its cleanliness.

“I spent some time here, and when Hurricane Dorian hit, I must say that my heart sank really low, because I sincerely love and admire Grand Bahama Island.  I was quite familiar with East End and was extremely fond of it.  I particularly loved the Lucayan National Park and so much about Grand Bahama.

“I was really afraid to come at first, but I am so glad that I did. The vegetation is still ailing, the forest is still ailing; they need some time to recover, but I was so glad to see so many small positive signs of restoration and development.”

Ardelt shared that her most memorable experience on the trip was seeing the island’s resilience after a devastating hit from Hurricane Dorian. She said she saw strength in the residents and she took joy in all the small details of Grand Bahama.

Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation General Manager, Steven Johnson, concluded the interview and stressed the importance of the familiarization trip. Johnson explained that the three-day travel agent fam trip was an initiative to increase business on island.

“The agents and the journalists had fun here in Grand Bahama, and we look forward to a return on investment in the immediate future, because when the travel agents return home to Germany, they will be able to sell future vacation packages to Grand Bahama. We are excited and will continue to work with our colleagues in the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation’s sales and marketing office in Frankfurt Germany, to give them the tools that they need to generate sales for Grand Bahama.”