TravelPulse on Scene: International Travel Partners Conference in the Bahamas

TravelPulse takes a deep dive into learning what is new and exciting in Bahamas by way of attending this year’s International Travel Partners Conference in Nassau Paradise Island. Over the course of the next five days we will be getting acquainted with the latest product developments, industry updates, and speaking to tourism officials about the state of the industry.

“Our goal of the ITPC conference is to educate our attendees on everything The Bahamas has to offer including our amazing member hotels and resorts…” commented Douglas Trueblood, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board. “This year we have scheduled one on one meetings so each travel partner will have an opportunity to meet with our properties to learn more and build solid relationships with them.”

In May, Bahamas Tourism officials revealed their newest ‘Fly Away Bahamas’ campaign to Canadian press at a splashy event on the 43rd floor of the new Bisha Hotel in Toronto. The objective of this new campaign was to promote lesser-known destinations within Bahamas and to educate the industry on outer island experiences available to the public. Interest in travelling to the Bahamas from North America is currently stronger than ever. Canada in particularly has played a big role in contributing to the growth in tourism in the Bahamas.

“Canada has always been an important market for the Bahamas as we continue to develop programs with all the top wholesalers and airline partners in the region to give our Canadian traveler the best experience in the Caribbean. In 2018 Canada was our #1 international visitor with an increase of over 43% of travelers to our destination”, revealed Mr Trueblood.

During this year’s conference Travel Pulse is scheduled to receive product and destination updates as well as conduct site inspections of some of the newest and most sought after hotels in Nassau Paradise Island and Baha Mar. New offerings and updates for existing hotels will also be reviewed along with numerous opportunities to experience all the food and flavours the islands of the Bahamas have to offer. The Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board will be holding a ‘state of the industry’ conference on Tuesday led by CEO Fred Lounsberry which will cover changes and updates to airlift offerings, hotel expansion, and visitor growth, etc.

“Nassau Paradise Island continues to boast both luxury and family friendly hotels and resorts and was recently named “Destination of the Year” which reflects all the positive growth of this island destination,”, Mr Trueblood continued to point out.

While in the Bahamas we will be staying at two different properties. The first, the Cove Atlantis, is an ultra-luxury resort property with 600 rooms on paradise island. The hotel was designed by architect Jeffrey Beers and is situated within the 171 acres property that makes up Atlantis Paradise Island. Nestled between Cove and Paradise beach the hotel was designed to create the feeling of being cast away to a private Bahamian sanctuary. Surrounding the exclusive resort are private all-adult and family pools paired with lavish cabanas. With its breathtaking ocean views, The Cove Atlantis is one of the most coveted properties in Nassau.

The second property we will be staying at while in the Bahamas is the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, an oceanfront estate with upscale accommodations. The hotel features an astonishing 1,800 contemporary guest-rooms (230 of which are suites and residences) all of which feature state of the art technology. In addition, the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is also home to the largest casino in the Caribbean as well as over 30 restaurants, a 30,000 sq.ft. spa, an 18 Hole Jack Nicklaus Golf Course, luxury retail shopping, and that only begins to scratch the surface.

“We are excited about all the immense growth of our destination and to showcase our island offerings of new hotels, expansion plans and island developments. Baha Mar is now fully open highlighting new guest experiences including the Grand Hyatt, SLS and Rosewood…,” Mr Trueblood highlighted. “The amazing Atlantis Resort continues to deliver multiple hotel offerings as well as including their spectacular Aquaventure Water Park and marine habitat experiences.”

All this plus unparalleled luxury service and an authentic Bahamian cultural experience that makes calling these two hotels home for the week a traveller’s ‘Bahamian dream come true’.

Stay tune for more exciting trip updates in the next couple days!!