Whether or not the 3.8 percent increase in overall tourist arrivals for the first two months of 2008 is an indication that this may be a good year touristically for The Bahamas remains to be seen, but it is nonetheless reason to be optimistic that the economic problems presently being experienced by the United States may not have as drastic an impact on the lifeblood of The Bahamas' economy as some people involved in the tourism industry feared.

That fear was based on the belief that those Americans with disposable incomes who like to travel would be more frugal with their funds as the U.S. – from where the vast majority of visitors to The Bahamas come from – struggles to rebound from its current economic woes. What the increase in visitor arrivals for January and February suggests, however, is that Americans still consider The Bahamas to be a bargain vacation destination that's foreign and nearby.

But it is worth noting that Family Island destinations were primarily responsible for the two-month increase in arrivals. While there was an overall increase of 8.7 percent in air arrivals for New Providence, arrivals by sea dipped by 6.1 percent, resulting in a decline of 0.9 percent in overall visitor arrivals to New Providence. For Grand Bahama, air arrivals declined by 2.2 percent, while arrivals by sea were down by 13.7 percent, for an overall decline of 10.0 percent. There are a number of reasons, however, for Grand Bahamians to be optimistic that all this will turn around.

One factor that is repeatedly cited for Grand Bahama's lacklustre performance in attracting tourists since the close of the Royal Oasis Resort and Casino four years ago is the lack of attractions to enhance the vacation experience of visitors to the island. Although Isle of Capri Casino continues to be a strong tourist attraction, particularly for persons who like to gamble, and nearby Port Lucaya Marketplace offers an excellent array of entertainment and fine restaurants for visitors to enjoy a good night on the town, that's not the sort of thing they would want to do every night.

It was no doubt the recognition of this fact that is behind the all-out effort by tourism officials to promote what they call "heritage tourism." The focus is on identifying heritage sites that can be restored to be included in tourism tours. Another once-popular tourist attraction in Grand Bahama that is "under renovation" is the Garden of the Groves, which is expected to be opened to visitors with "better attractions" by late summer.

Grand Bahama is also becoming a premier location for films, since the filming of the Pirates of The Caribbean sequels several years ago. Currently a German television movie, "Der See Wolf," is presently being filmed on the island, and in the past three weeks two French documentaries – "Oceans" and "Ushuaia Nature" – were also shot in Grand Bahama. Additionally, Ministry of Tourism officials say on June 23 "Way of the Dolphin," a sequel to the movie "Eye of the Dolphin," will begin filming on the island.

The millions of dollars in free publicity that The Bahamas in general will receive from the production of these movies in Grand Bahama will unquestionably have a positive impact on the country's tourism industry. What's more, the restoration of the recently sold Royal Oasis Resort and Casino is expected to be the nexus for the revitalization of the downtown area of Freeport, and that certainly bodes well for the island's tourism product.