WHY IT RATES: The revamped website makes it easy for potential visitors to gain access to great under-the-radar Bahamas islands they may not have considered before, along with the perennial favorites. -Michael Isenbek, TravelPulse Senior Editor
Travelers can now book their dream vacation to The Islands of The Bahamas via the newly refurbished and interactive Bahamas.com.
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (BMOT) officially relaunched its website this week which now reflects a modern and intuitive user experience and, most importantly, includes a global booking engine.
"The new booking engine for the website allows interested persons to better navigate The Islands of The Bahamas. People know how to get to Nassau, Grand Bahama and the Out Islands where we have direct airlift, but they may not explore the other Family Islands because they don't know how to get there. The new booking feature connects our domestic carriers and international carriers, making it easier for travelers to get to some of those islands that you cannot fly to directly, like Rum Cay or the Berry Islands for example," said BMOT Director of Global Communications, Andre Miller.
"The website attracts 250,000 unique visitors each month with just shy of one million page views each month," Miller said. He added that as many as 300,000 unique visitors view the website each month.
The hope is that the new easy to use booking engine will encourage the majority of those visitors to book their trip to The Bahamas after seeing all that the multi-island destination has to offer.
"Thousands of people were always going to our site to seek out information about The Islands of The Bahamas, but then they had to leave the page to book their trip other ways. That leaves room for distractions and gives people time to consider other destinations. Now that we have a booking engine, the trip is just a click or two away while the interest in The Bahamas is at its highest," Miller said.
The first trip was booked on the new website just a day after it was launched, by a European traveler who will spend a few days enjoying the Family Islands.
The site is also more colorful and interactive. Bahamas.com now includes videos and blogs containing stories about exciting activities guests can do in The Bahamas. The blogs cover a wide range of categories ranging from fishing, diving, pampering and nightlife to boating, water sports, worship and romance.
Miller also stated, "We've added some new bells and whistles and obviously, we kept The Bahamas map on the website so people can see our proximity to major hubs, like Florida. We now have a much more mobile-friendly version of the website to keep up with the trend of increased mobile use for booking.
"We've put social media much more upfront. We have a homepage social media feature that gives you a snapshot of what's going on when people are using the hashtag Bahamas, visit The Bahamas or It's better in The Bahamas.
The website also highlights several different vendors, restaurants, other activities and attractions, allowing travelers to not only book easily but also plan their entire trip.
"We've built this website to spur a deeper economic impact across all the persons who have a stake within the industry when it comes to tourism," Miller said.
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