Derecho del Turismo en las Américas

Tourism Legislation in The Bahamas 411 tourism, negotiate with carriers and coordinate all tourism matters, the Development Board Act passed in 1914. This Act established the Development Board, formally jumpstarting the tourism industry. This Board is reported to have opened on a budget of £ 3,000 per annum . This funding was used for advertising, public relations, subsidies for carriers and information services. In 1929, Pan American Airlines began operating seaplane services from Miami to Nassau. In 1930, a Canadian businessman, Sir Harry Oakes, built the first airport in the country at Oakes Field and, in 1937, the country saw 34,000 tourist arrivals. With the Second World War (1939-1945), many Europeans gravitated to The Bahamas, causing land investments to increase and, by 1943, with foreign investment, two airports had been built in Nassau. In fact, notwithstanding the crisis of World War II, given these investments, The Bahamas is said to have experienced substantial growth. The Bahamas established itself as a tourist destination suitable for the rich. Section Conclusion Table 1 summarises the key legislation and events that shaped the early start of tourism development in The Bahamas. It shows that, even then, at least four (4) legislative development played a role in capitalizing on the events occurring at that time, to shape and/or encourage tourism development. The pre‑1950 legislative development also paved the way for the continued development of Tourism, particularly in later years when the British pulled out its support and when The Bahamas gained its independence from Britain – covered in the following sections of this chapter. T able 1 Pre-1950 Key Tourism Legislation & Events in The Bahamas Year Key events & tourism legislation 1740 Peter Henry Bruce recommended travel to Nassau for health reasons. 1851 Tourism Encouragement Act: £ 1,000 incentive for ships to ply between Nassau & New York. 1857 Tourism Act to purchase the site for the erection of a grand hotel. 1859 Revised Act to increase the incentive to £ 3,000 incentive; Samuel Cunard contracted to ply between New York & Nassau; 1st Voyage made on the Cunard’s Steam Ship “Karnak”. 1861 The Royal Victoria Hotel opened.