By Bevan Springer

Fred Lounsberry, one of the driving forces behind the development of tourism in The Bahamas, is retiring this month after a stellar 17-year career leading the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board.

He makes room for the experienced Joy Jibrilu, a native Bahamian, who recently served as Director General of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation.

Frank Comito, former CEO and Director General of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), who spent a significant part of his career as a leading executive with the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association, has had the privilege of working with both Lounsberry and Jibrilu over the years.

“I’m thrilled to see Joy take on this new leadership role with the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board,” he reflected, noting that Jibrilu’s experience working with public and private sector stakeholders on tourism development and marketing matters locally and regionally through organizations like CHTA and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), along with her deep love of The Bahamas, make her “uniquely qualified to assume this important post.”

Comito saluted Lounsberry for being integral to the success of The Bahamas over the past two decades, where he often quietly worked behind the scenes to position Nassau-Paradise Island as one of the region’s premier tourist destinations.

“Like many others, I’ve benefited from his insight, activism, and support 

for our efforts in The Bahamas and regionally,” said Comito, who disclosed that Lounsberry has been one of the driving forces behind CHTA’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the region’s largest B2B tourism event, which the Board and The Bahamas hosted six times throughout his tenure.

“We could not have experienced the success of those events without Fred’s support,” Comito reflected, adding that CHTA and the region’s tourism family look forward to welcoming both of these tourism executives at this year’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace, which will be held October 3-5, 2022 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, stated: “I am very happy to know that Mrs. Joy Jibrilu will bring her wealth of experience and immense leadership skills to the organization and continue the current momentum and sustained long-term tourism growth for our country. Mrs. Jibrilu will be the first woman and Bahamian to head the Promotion Board and she has my full support as the government and private sector work together to ensure The Bahamas remains the number one destination in the Caribbean.”

Bevan Springer is the President and CEO of Marketplace Excellence, a global public relations, marketing and media company.