MIAMI – The Islands Of The Bahamas continues to ramp up its marketing efforts, particularly in the Florida area where the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (BMOTA) has entered into a new partnership with Brightline.
Brightline is a high-speed rail system that connects some of the major cities in Florida, namely West Palm Beach, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.
Soon, the company will expand its tracks to Tampa and Orlando, according to its officials.
During a ‘Jingle and Mingle’ Event at Brightline Downtown Miami, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships David Helfman said the company is excited to saturate its stations with images from The Islands Of The Bahamas.
“We’re so thrilled that they have chosen us to help promote the islands and to use us as a unique venue to attract new consumers. We want to elevate their experience here and bring some fun and some flair to our stations and really expose Bahamas Tourism – the culture, the food and the atmosphere to our premium guests,” he said.
Brightline will host a number of events with BMOTA to promote the destination and will hold a sweepstakes for a vacation to The Bahamas.
Mr. Helfman said The Islands Of The Bahamas is an easy sell.
“It’s such a close, easy destination and it has everything our guests are looking for, which is relaxation, great amenities, a unique culture that they can experience,” he said. “It’s all about the food, the art and the music.”
BMOTA’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Betty Bethel-Moss said the partnership is a gift, particularly during the holidays.
“What is most important for us in marketing The Islands Of The Bahamas is visibility,” she said. “We were looking for opportunities where we could have top of mind visuals throughout Florida. Entering this partnership with Brightline has allowed that because it has allowed us to have this digital takeover on the trains and the stations in West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and in Miami.”
Scores of industry partners also attended the event, which featured delicious Bahamian food, Junkanoo and a special performance by Bahamian artist Julien Believe. A number of them said they would take full advantage of the new partnership with Brightline.
“One of the main things I love about the partnership with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is that we get to explore markets that we wouldn’t normally do in our budget,” said Peter Rose of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line. “They also bring great events that allow us to reach people.”
“Brightline is a great company to do a partnership with to promote The Bahamas,” said Veronica Bolanos, director of FRS Caribbean. “Bimini is one of the destinations that we need to push and we at FRS Caribbean are happy that this is being pushed because that will bring business to us.”
