vghjujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujujuju hjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj hjvvhj hvjvjvjvjvjvjvj giuuuuuu bbbbbbb bhbhbhbhThe tourism industry employs directly or indirectly about 50 percent of the Bahamian workforce and accounts for approximately half of the country's Gross Domestic Product The Bahamas were presented with the Crystal Palm Award for Excellence by the Caribbean Hotel Association in January of 1998. This prestigious award recognized the Bahamian government for its excellence in tourism management and visionary leadership. This honor was mirrored in the growing popularity of the destination as the Ministry of Tourism reported The Islands Of The Bahamas to be the most popular destination among all Caribbean Islands.
According to Caribbean Tourism Office (CTO) statistics, more than 1.3 million Americans visited TIOTB, nearly double the number of US tourists to the #2 preference, Jamaica, and nearly triple the number of US visitors to the #3 choice Puerto Rico. 1998 brought with it $1 billion worth of investments in the development of hotels and tourism infrastructure. The most impressive of these investments was Atlantis, Paradise Island, where a $450 million expansion doubled the number of guestrooms, and added a new convention complex and a 25,000 sq.-ft. ballroom, the largest in the Caribbean. (To date, Atlantis, Paradise Island has spent $850 million on expansion and renovations.)
On July 8, 1999, The Islands Of The Bahamas welcomed its two-millionth visitor for the 1999 season, a milestone that occurred almost two months ahead of schedule. The most popular months for tourists are in the first quarter, with September offering the best opportunity to avoid the crowds. Generally all the destinations follow this monthly pattern with The Out Islands -- Bimini, Eleuthera,...