TourismToday

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NASSAU, The Bahamas – June 14, 2010 – The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation was busy in New York City last week promoting awareness of the country and participating in the Caribbean Week celebrations which took place June 7th – 11th. The Bahamas had a strong presence at all Caribbean Tourism Organization sponsored meetings and events including an audience participation segment at the CBS Early Show, Media Marketplace, individual briefings with top editors, workshops and meetings with regional leaders. Representatives from the Ministry also participated in the 37th Annual Governments of the Caribbean State Ball, and the Caribbean Week Media Awards Luncheon where The Bahamas won “Best Feature Broadcast” for the 2009 episodes of SCRUBS that were filmed in The Bahamas.

The Islands Of The Bahamas literally stopped traffic – at least on the sidewalks of New York – when they rolled out the “Treats & Tweets from The Bahamas” sampling truck. The branded truck roamed the streets of New York distributing free samples of delicious Bahamian food and beverages to New Yorkers, including traditional fare such as Bahamian Mac & Cheese, Junkanoo Drumsticks and virgin Bahama Mamas. New Yorkers loved the tasty treats and over 2,500 samples were distributed throughout the week along with information on travel to The Bahamas and special offers. The truck made stops at popular New York lunch spots and tourist locations including Times Square, Central Park, Grand Central Station, Columbus Circle, Rockefeller Center and Union Square.

The Bahamas utilized its strong social media presence to promote the truck throughout the week. By posting the truck’s location on its Twitter handle (@VisitTheBahamas) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/bahamas), New York consumers were able to find the truck’s exact location in real time and grab their free sample. As a result, The Bahamas gained an additional 223 Twitter followers and 250 Facebook fans. The wildly popular truck was featured on the Travel + Leisure Blog, Carry On (963,000 monthly viewers), NYMag.com (3.8 million monthly viewers), Gothamist.com (1.9 million monthly viewers), MidtownLunch.com (59,700 monthly viewers) and spent three days on Captivate (over 2.5 million viewers daily). A Bahama Fridays inspired Tweet Up was held in Bryant Park where consumers entered to win a trip to Club Peace & Plenty in The Bahamas. The truck, which included the declaration, “It’s Good In NYC, But It’s Better In The Bahamas” commanded the attention of consumers in one of the busiest markets in the United States, and became the subject of many conversations during the week.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism also used their time in New York to meet with editors at top publications to discuss new developments, investments and the creative campaigns The Bahamas is implementing to increase tourism. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism and Aviation, filmed a video interview with Forbes.com (over 10 million visitors per month) while Vernice Walkine, Director General of The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, met with trade and consumer publications from Travel Weekly (circ. 40,154) to Travel + Leisure (circ. 957,987), Budget Travel (circ. 689,981), Brides Magazine (circ. 309,788), Nylon Magazine (circ. 217,506) and Elite Traveler (circ. 114,655). All meetings were a huge success and were a great opportunity for The Bahamas to have face-to-face time with key influencers.