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The Travel Industry Association has honored the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board with a 2008 Odyssey Award in the International Travel Advertising Category. The award-winning "Free Passport" advertising campaign, which was created and implemented by Orlando-based marketing firm Ypartnership, was designed to encourage U.S. visitation to the destination by helping travelers overcome barriers to new U.S. passport regulations.
After regulations went into effect that required U.S. citizens to present a passport to return to the U.S. when traveling by air from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean, the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board sought a way to encourage visitors to continue to travel to the Bahamas. Research by Ypartnership confirmed that the cost of applying for a passport was an obstacle that would deter many prospective visitors from considering a vacation to the Bahamas.
The "Free Passport" campaign encouraged travelers to visit the Nassau/Paradise Island Web site to learn how to apply for a passport, download a passport application and submit a rebate form for passport reimbursement. Reimbursement was tied to the first use of the passport being a trip to Nassau Paradise Island and a qualifying stay in any Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board member hotel. A feature of the campaign provided consumers with simple "how to get a passport" information. A "chat lady" feature on the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board web site provided a real time service for asking questions and getting instant answers to their passport questions.
"This multi-faceted electronic campaign did more than just encourage visitation to our destination," said Fred Lounsberry, chief executive officer of Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board. "The campaign also helped communicate new passport requirements and provided passports to nearly 10,500 Americans who previously did not have passports who can now conveniently return to the Bahamas."
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
