Derecho del Turismo en las Américas

Tourism Legislation in The Bahamas 417 with the Colony of The Bahamas becoming the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, thereby opening the door for full independence. On 10 July 1973, after 300 years of being a British colony, The Bahamas made the peaceful transition to nationhood by becoming an Independent Nation. 1964 Promotion of Tourism Act With internal self‑government, the importance of tourism to the economic development of The Bahamas was confirmed, and new strategies were put in place to cement this sector into the social and economic fabric of the country. In the first instance, a ministerial form of government evolved and, with this, the Development Board was replaced by the Ministry of Tourism. In the second instance, and most significantly, the Promotion of Tourism Act, effected in 1964, was passed to provide a legal framework for the promotion of tourism. To effectively undertake the promotion, the intention behind the 1964 Promotion Act was to create a Ministry that would operate in a more flexible manner and, as such, not subject to the rigid procedures and bureaucratic controls found in the Public Service. Under the 1964 Promotion Act, therefore, the Ministry of Tourism was placed outside the cadre of the Public Service, which allowed the Ministry to carry out promotional tourism activities with some degree of autonomy. This meant, that, based on the Act, The Ministry of Tourism’s staff are not Civil Servants, and all authority concerning appointments, terminations, discipline and other personnel matters rest with the Minister responsible for Tourism. The result allowed the Ministry to more effectively organise itself, not only for the promotion of tourism but also for the overall tourism development and management, ensuring a match between the actual product and that which was promoted. The flexibility given to the Ministry of Tourism has allowed the country to effectively develop, manage and promote tourism, and be able to respond to and address issues and trends as quickly as necessary – something that would not have been possible within the bureaucracy and rigidity of the traditional public service structure. Increased Promotional Efforts With the 1964 Promotion Act, ample resources were made available to market the country, enabling the Ministry of Tourism to play a renewed and critical role in shaping the economic development of the country. During the 1960‑1966 period, tourism budgets increased by an average of 10.5% per annum , reaching