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I just got back from a short vacation in the Bahamas. I had on my "Jamaican" eyes while I was there. What that means is that I was constantly comparing things to Jamaica. What I can say as objectively as possible is that the tourist product in Jamaica is by far way better. I stayed on Paradise Island which is literally a stone's throw from Nassau. I spent 5 days at an "all-inclusive" (and I use that term very loosely) hotel and was bored stiff by the second day. The hotel itself would probably be condemned if it was in Jamaica, and I have stayed at many hotels in Jamaica throughout my years. The food was poor and constant. They served the exact meal for breakfast everyday!!! Dinner was the remix of lunch.
The Atlantis hotel and Casino, however, is fabulous and is one of their main attraction. I would go as far as to say, it is the only thing they have to offer that Jamaica doesn't have.....a top class casino, albeit, small in comparision to those in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. However, Bahamas continues to outstrip us in terms of visitors with their extremely limited attractions. Yes they have gorgeous beaches (not as many as Jamaica) which comes with the usual water sports. I also did the boat ride to one of their many islands...nothing to write home about....just more sand and sea. I also did the Fish-Fry thingy, which is really a nicer Port Royal. I lost about US$200 of unbudgetted vacation funds at the casino. There is also the Dolphin Cove thing, but I did that last year ...in Jamaica. That's basically all they have to offer. So why do they do better than us in number of visitors?
Try to glean the answer as I go back to the heading of my post. First thing that hits you is that their dollar is equal to the US$ - Bah$1 = US$1. I think that plays a big part in why no one is haggling you when you step outside of the airport. The people are in every sense of the word "laid-back". I went to the craft market and no one was dragging me to their stall to try to "scalp" me (this happened to me in Ochi last year). Backtracking a bit. The taxi rates are standard wherever you go or whomever you ask. The people are genuinely nice. They remind me of how we (Jamaicans) used to be when I was growing up. An example: one day my wife and I went to listen to one of those time share presentations. Of course we went there to collect the $120 which was being offered and the free taxi ride into the town (yeah we cheap). After the presentation we went outside to walk around the town but we wanted my daughter and her grandmother to meet us there. One of the many streetside "salesperson" offered us the use of his cell phone. After many unsuccessful tries to contact them, he offered to drive us to the hotel and back. After accepting his offer and telling him thanks for the thousandth time, he made a comment that resounded in my head. He said, "you are a tourist here in my island. If I don't take care of you, then I can't eat or feed my kids. We depend totally on you". What a concept!!!
Anyway, at the fish fry, I was talking to a female police officer. I struck up a conversation with her because I noticed that she was the only officer I saw wear a gun. I asked her about that, but I did not get an answer that I remember. However, what I gathered was that she belong to a special unit, but generally, the police carried no visible guns. I expressed to her how safe we felt walking on the roads late at nights, so I asked her specifically about the gun crimes there. She said that the murder rate was up this year to a whopping 35!!! This she attributed to the influx of Haitians which she said was about 2 to 1 Bahamian. She said that they are targetted by the natives and as a result they retaliate. While I was there, there was a robbery (I could be wrong, but I think it was a bank) but the theif was caught. DUH!!! Nassau is about the size of Kingston...if that big.
All in all, my thoughts of the Bahamas are that they have nothing on Jamaica in terms of a tourism product outside of the casino. I actually told a few of the hotel guests that I met about the many attractions and nicer hotels that Jamaica had to offer. Those of us who live outside of Jamaica can attest to the fact of just how facinated the rest of the world is with Jamaica. We need to improve on what we have and diversify our tourism product. Last year I was very impressed with the physical improvements of the Shades in Ochi compared to what I remember back in the days. I was however disappointed with the level of vulgarity that strip clubs in jamaica have sunk to. Having live sex on stage is a big turnoff. Nothing is left to the imagination any more.
The Atlantis hotel and Casino, however, is fabulous and is one of their main attraction. I would go as far as to say, it is the only thing they have to offer that Jamaica doesn't have.....a top class casino, albeit, small in comparision to those in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. However, Bahamas continues to outstrip us in terms of visitors with their extremely limited attractions. Yes they have gorgeous beaches (not as many as Jamaica) which comes with the usual water sports. I also did the boat ride to one of their many islands...nothing to write home about....just more sand and sea. I also did the Fish-Fry thingy, which is really a nicer Port Royal. I lost about US$200 of unbudgetted vacation funds at the casino. There is also the Dolphin Cove thing, but I did that last year ...in Jamaica. That's basically all they have to offer. So why do they do better than us in number of visitors?
Try to glean the answer as I go back to the heading of my post. First thing that hits you is that their dollar is equal to the US$ - Bah$1 = US$1. I think that plays a big part in why no one is haggling you when you step outside of the airport. The people are in every sense of the word "laid-back". I went to the craft market and no one was dragging me to their stall to try to "scalp" me (this happened to me in Ochi last year). Backtracking a bit. The taxi rates are standard wherever you go or whomever you ask. The people are genuinely nice. They remind me of how we (Jamaicans) used to be when I was growing up. An example: one day my wife and I went to listen to one of those time share presentations. Of course we went there to collect the $120 which was being offered and the free taxi ride into the town (yeah we cheap). After the presentation we went outside to walk around the town but we wanted my daughter and her grandmother to meet us there. One of the many streetside "salesperson" offered us the use of his cell phone. After many unsuccessful tries to contact them, he offered to drive us to the hotel and back. After accepting his offer and telling him thanks for the thousandth time, he made a comment that resounded in my head. He said, "you are a tourist here in my island. If I don't take care of you, then I can't eat or feed my kids. We depend totally on you". What a concept!!!
Anyway, at the fish fry, I was talking to a female police officer. I struck up a conversation with her because I noticed that she was the only officer I saw wear a gun. I asked her about that, but I did not get an answer that I remember. However, what I gathered was that she belong to a special unit, but generally, the police carried no visible guns. I expressed to her how safe we felt walking on the roads late at nights, so I asked her specifically about the gun crimes there. She said that the murder rate was up this year to a whopping 35!!! This she attributed to the influx of Haitians which she said was about 2 to 1 Bahamian. She said that they are targetted by the natives and as a result they retaliate. While I was there, there was a robbery (I could be wrong, but I think it was a bank) but the theif was caught. DUH!!! Nassau is about the size of Kingston...if that big.
All in all, my thoughts of the Bahamas are that they have nothing on Jamaica in terms of a tourism product outside of the casino. I actually told a few of the hotel guests that I met about the many attractions and nicer hotels that Jamaica had to offer. Those of us who live outside of Jamaica can attest to the fact of just how facinated the rest of the world is with Jamaica. We need to improve on what we have and diversify our tourism product. Last year I was very impressed with the physical improvements of the Shades in Ochi compared to what I remember back in the days. I was however disappointed with the level of vulgarity that strip clubs in jamaica have sunk to. Having live sex on stage is a big turnoff. Nothing is left to the imagination any more.
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
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