On May 15th-17th, 2019, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation participated in ITB China 2019 in Shanghai. The Bahamas, which attended China’s B2B tourism industry exhibition for the first time this year, used its unique booth, enthusiastic speeches and fun interactive activities to show its audience the unique charm of the Caribbean country.

Paul Strachan, Senior Director Canada of Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, delivered a keynote speech at the ITB Speech Center on “The Islands Of The Bahamas, The Perfect Island Travel Destination” and received great feedback.

In his speech, Paul showed the comprehensiveness and uniqueness of the tourism resources of The Bahamas saying: “The Bahamas is a world-class island destination, just 50 miles from Florida on the southeastern tip of the US and covering more than 100,000 square miles. The entire region includes 700 breathtaking islands and over 2,000 rocks and coral reefs, with the clearest water on the planet and visibility of over 200 feet. Visitors can clearly see the world’s third largest barrier reef, the Andros reef.”

At the show, the Bahamas’ booth created a cozy Bahamian atmosphere with romantic island maps, soft lawns, tropical green plants and fresh flowers. Under the layout, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation highlighted its luxury resort offerings, destination weddings, and MICE market options; along with the natural beauty of the destination including its famous swimming pigs, pink sand beaches, and crystal clear waters.

Pictured: Paul Strachan is inerviewed at the Bahamas booth. (ITB Photo)

The Bahamas offering attracted wide attention from trade participants and media at the event. During the three day event, Paul Strachan conducted several video media interviews from The Bahamas booth. In one interview, he said: “We have been involved in ITB Berlin for many years, however, this is our first time participating in ITB China, and we are very happy with the level of the meetings and interactions we have had with the Chinese trade and tourism industry professionals. In the past few years, we have achieved steady growth in the Chinese market, and feel confident that our meetings and negotiations conducted at this event will increase our numbers”

At the event a plush swimming pig toy, based on the swimming pigs of Exuma, was deeply loved by the audience. They lined up to learn more about the swimming pigs and participated in interactive activities for a chance to take one of the cute stuffed pigs back home. Pig Island is an island in the Exumas which has become a world-famous instagrammable destination because of a group of swimming pigs.

The natural environment on Pig Island is good, unthreatened by tropical storms with plenty of natural drinkable spring water. The sea temperature averages 24C. After discovering the lovely indigenous life on the island, Pig Island was protected by the Bahamian state, and no human habitation was allowed on the island. Now its inhabitants can be called the happiest pigs in the world.

The three-day ITB show brought a lot of attention, rich cooperation opportunities and consistent praise for The Bahamas.

Pictured: The audience enthusiastically participated in the Bahamas booth interactive activities. (ITB Photo)