This week, LIVE from Old Bahama Bay!

Talkin’ Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond!) is once again focused on the “beyond” as the team crosses the Gulf Stream to Grand Bahama Island to bring you a show live from Old Bahama Bay, located at West End, on Grand Bahama Island.

With over 700 islands and cays and 100,000 square miles of pristine ocean and coastal environments, the Bahamian government knows that if the marine environment degrades so does their tourism industry. The Sustainable Tourism Division of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is responsible for helping to insure the protection of Bahamian waters and is the administrator of the Blue Flag Programme. Similar to the Clean Marina Program in the U.S., the Blue Flag Programme provides criteria and standards to guide those responsible for marinas, beaches and individual boater education.

Old Bahama Bay is a certified Blue Flag Marina. On all our live remotes, we always try to highlight the Treasure Coast connection. Here it is---located 68 nautical miles, West End, Grand Bahama is the closest marina to the Treasure Coast area for our Treasure Coast boaters to clear Bahamas Customs & Immigration.

Sustainable Tourism general manager Earlston McPhee will join the Talkin’ Tourism Team to explain in more detail the importance of this certification. Old Bahama Bay director of operations Nathan Moody, and other representatives of this beautiful resort, will describe in full detail the amenities and attributes of this world-class facility. Adding a little “local flavor” (literally) will be Tony “Macaroni” Hanna, Cacique Award Winner and owner/operator of Tony Macaroni’s World Famous Conch Experience. Who knows? Perhaps Tony will bring some of his tasty roast conch or conch salad. Yum!

An added bonus for this week's show is the first leg of the Bahamas Wahoo Championship is being held at Old Bahama Bay during the time we are there, so we’ll update you on the catches and progress of the tournament!!! Wahoooooo!!!!

See you from Grand Bahama Island this Friday morning!

The Lost Episode....Somewhere in Cyberspace

Bahamas Director General of Tourism Vernice Walkine smiles
when Gary mentions Misti wants to return to Eleuthera soon.
Standing behind Ms. Walkine is Warren Pinder,
Consultant Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board;
sitting next to Ms. Walkine is Shaun Ingraham, Director Island
Journeys; Hon. Oswald Ingraham, M.P. South Eleuthera;
Talkin' Tourism co-host Ed Griffith and show host Gary Guertin

Well fans, sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned. The show we planned to bring to you last Friday did not air due to a programming error. As a result, the show from Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club that had aired on August 13 was replayed. If you missed the first airing of the show, you probably found it extremely interesting to hear Earlston McPhee, the general manager of Sustainable Tourism for the Bahamas, Leon Gibson, the administrator of the Blue Flag Programme, along with Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club general manager Stephen Kappeler discuss the commitment by the Islands of the Bahamas to ensure their beautiful waters remain as clean and pristine as possible.

The show also featured movers and shakers in the tourism industry including Vernice Walkine, now the former Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Tommy Sands, a local businessman and investor of Cotton Bay Estates, Avian Morely, restaurateur and conch salad master, and Member of Parliament, The Hon. Oswald Ingraham.

Once the “missing show” is located, we'll post it here on the blog as a “special bonus show” for your listening and vacationing pleasure.

Revisiting a Beautiful Island: Eleuthera, Bahamas

In August, the Talkin’ Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond) team headed to the island of Eleuthera for its first broadcast from this Bahamas Out Island. The show was spectacular with guests including now former Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Vernice Walkine, Sustainable Tourism General Manager Earlston McPhee, Member of Parliment, South Eleuthera, Hon. Oswald Ingraham, and other Eleutheran movers and shakers. The primary focus of the show was to promote the country’s Blue Flag Programme and other Bahamas related tourism initiatives.

This week, Talkin’ Tourism is back on Eleuthera! A one-hour show was just not long enough time to provide our listeners with information on all the fun things to do above and under the sea, the places to go and explore, the pristine beaches to visit, and the beautiful gin clear water to rejuvenate one’s soul. So, as they say in the Caribbean, we go to come back, and this week we're back!

Talkin' Tourism special guest co-host Ed Griffith and host Gary Guertin catch up on Friday with our friends at Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club on Powell Point, South Eleuthera, who know how to help people have a great time.

Diving enthusiasts will enjoy hearing from Neal Watson Jr., operator of Cape Eleuthera Divers. Fishing enthusiast’s attention will be grabbed by Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club’s dockmaster and local fishing guru Leon Gibson and Captain Freddy. Hungry for great conch salad? Guest Avian Morley, the head chef and conch salad master at Coco Plums Restaurant and Bar in Rock Sound, describes his enjoyment of being a restaurateur on the island.

Avian will soon be visiting Jensen Beach, Florida as the lead Junkanoo’er in the upcoming Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival! Eleuthera. Eleuthera's Tourism Manager Jackie Gibson also joined the crew and spoke about the Gregory Town, Eleuthera and Jensen Beach, Florida 20-year Sister City relationship. Representatives from the world renown Cape Eleuthera Institute and The Island School, Geoff Walton, Karla Cosgriff and Chris Maxey, spoke about their passion and work in marine science research taking place at the institute and school, including aquaculture, aquaponics, permaculture and much more.

So listeners, treat yourself to a mini vacation this Friday and join us for a little more Bahamian fun, infotainment and Treasure Coast connections!

Pineapples, Conch, Blue Flag Marinas, and Gin Clear Waters

Last week, host Gary Guertin and special guest co-host Ed Griffith literally made a splash in South Eleuthera.  No, not the “cannonball kind," but the kind that gets everyone involved buzzing about a great time and wonderful experiences.  

From the luxury of Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club, Talkin' Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond) really connected with the best of the best of the Bahamas tourism efforts.  

Leading a long list of Eleuthera tourism officials and stakeholders, Director General Vernice Walkine opened with remarks on behalf of the Bahamas.  Her comments were as warm and bright as the Bahamian sun.  Getting to the main topic of the day General Manager of Sustainable Tourism Earlston McPhee and Blue Flag Programme Administrator Leon Gibson along with Cape Eleuthera Resort General Manager Steve Kappeler gave an excellent overview of the Blue Flag Programme and what it means to the Ministry, but  most importantly to the marine environment. 

Moving on from there, guests Tommy Sands, owner of the Cotton Bay development, Shaun Ingraham, president of the Rotary Club of Eleuthera, provided insightful comments on the state of tourism in South Eleuthera and what the future may hold.  What was the consensus?  You will want to listen to find out.

And for Treasure Coast connections there was a host of them, not to mention the 20 year old Sister City partnership between Gregory Town, Eleuthera and our very own Jensen Beach, Florida.  Co-host Ed Griffith was greeted like a rock star at the Governor’s Harbour Airport much to Radio Man’s surprise. Could Ed become the FLAHAMIAN Ambassador to Eleuthera?  Future shows may tell!

Click on the audio file and take a mini-vacation to the beautiful Bahamian island of Eleuthera…and don’t forget your favorite boat drink. A link to the podcast for viewing on your computer or iPad/iPhone and photos of Eleuthera and the show's guests, can be found below.

See you next week! And don't miss out on the Bahamas Out-Island Companion Fly's Free promotion.

Subscribe to Talkin' Tourism's podcasts on the iTunes Store. If you don't have an iTunes account, here's the link to our Eleuthera remote Blip TV podcast:

Blue Flag marinas and the beautiful island of Eleuthera!

Kayak in Eleuthera. Photo credit: ACT Productions

This week, Talkin' Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond) continues its quest to seek more and more “connections” between the Islands of the Bahamas and our own Treasure Coast region.  For the first time, show host Gary Guertin and guest co-host Ed Griffith will be broadcasting live from Eleuthera, Bahamas.  


At the request of Earlston McPhee, General Manager of the Bahamas Ministry’s Sustainable Tourism Department, this week’s show will present the country’s participation in the Blue Flag Programme.  Similar to the Clean Marina/Boatyard Program in the U.S.A., the Blue Flag Programme promotes environmental “best practices” for the country’s marinas and beaches, as well as individual boat owners/users.  Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club is one of three marinas in the Bahamas currently certified as a Blue Flag marina.  General Manager Stephen Kappeler will share with listeners the criteria for certification and what this means for his operation.  He will also describe for listeners the amenities of this fabulous location.  Also scheduled for a guest appearance is Vernice Walkine, Director General of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.

Gary and Ed are looking forward to meeting local tourism stakeholders in South Eleuthera and talking about how they see their tourism product developing in the future.  As listeners have come to learn, there are always Treasure Coast “connections” to be uncovered while on the road.  What will be uncovered this week?  You're going to have to tune in to find out. 

Yes fans, the Treasure Coast and the Islands of the Bahamas have lots in common when it comes to similarities in our tourism promotional efforts efforts.  Join us as we continue to explore these opportunities and adventures.

See you this Friday at 10 a.m. on WPSL 1590 AM (or on the web at www.wpsl.com) from Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club!