Bahamas
Business dress is more formal in The Bahamas than elsewhere in the Caribbean; a business suit and tie is recommended for men and conservative business dress for women. Business attire generally follows the standards of the northeastern United States. Bahamians shake hands upon meeting, sometimes exchange business cards, and address first-time business acquaintances by their last names. Conversations generally move to a first name basis a bit more slowly than in many countries. Firm appointments for business meetings are advisable. Although Bahamians are not punctual for meetings, foreign visitors should be punctual. Office hours are normally 0900-1700 Monday to Friday.
The Bahamas is very much a consensus-driven society, in which people often disguise personal feelings beneath a surface cordiality. Business meetings in The Bahamas tend to be very pleasant and Bahamians often end a meeting with an air of agreement even if real differences remain. Thus, Bahamian partners may still retain some reservations even after meetings that ended with firm handshakes and pleasantries. Bahamians at the middle levels of business or government must often gain final approval from more senior officials.
Business lunches are common in The Bahamas, and invitations to discuss matters over lunch in a quiet restaurant are common practice. Bahamians tend not to drink very much at business lunches and usually expect the lunch to last between an hour and an hour-and-a-half. Business dinners are relatively rare, and Bahamians do not generally invite new acquaintances to their homes. When they do so, dinners at the homes of well-to-do Bahamians tend to be elaborate and formal affairs, at which business attire for men and conservative evening wear for women is appropriate. A small gift for the hostess, such as flowers and a follow-up thank you note is appropriate acknowledgments.
Visitors should exercise normal caution and good judgment when visiting The Bahamas. Although most criminal incidents take place in a part of Nassau not usually frequented by tourists (the "over-the-hill" area south of downtown), crime and violence has moved into more upscale tourist and residential areas.
It is not advisable to walk alone away from the main hotels, tourist areas, beaches and downtown Nassau, particularly after dark. Take extra care if traveling on the local bus service after dusk on routes away from the main tourist routes along Cable Beach and East and West Bay Streets. Do not carry large amounts of cash or jewellery. Do not offer resistance in the event of an attempted robbery, as the assailant is likely to be armed.
Criminals also target restaurants and nightclubs frequented by tourists. The most common approach for criminals is to offer victims a ride, either as a “personal favor” or by claiming to be a taxi, and then robbing and/or assaulting the passenger once they are in the car. Ride only in licensed taxis, identifiable by their yellow license plates.
Over the past year, there have been several reports of sexual assaults against visitors, including teenage girls. Most assaults have been perpetrated against intoxicated young women, some of whom were reportedly drugged. Young women should stay in groups, consume alcohol in moderation or not at all, ride only in licensed taxis, and not accept rides or drinks from strangers. Parents should be aware that the legal drinking age (18 years) is not rigorously enforced.
Be cautious on deserted areas of beaches at all hours. Hotel guests should always lock their doors and should never leave valuables unattended, especially on beaches. Visitors should store passport/identity documents, airline tickets, credit cards, and extra cash in hotel safes. Avoid wearing expensive jewelry, particularly Rolex watches, which criminals have specifically targeted.
Use only clearly marked taxis with yellow license plates and make a note of the license plate number for your records.
The outlying islands of the Bahamian archipelago (known as the Family or Out Islands) are attracting an increasing number of visitors. These islands are relatively free of crime compared to the main islands of New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) but sensible precautions should still be taken.
The Bahamas experiences cocaine traffic largely along the Colombia - Jamaica - Bahamas corridor. International law enforcement efforts in the Jamaican corridor and elsewhere in the Caribbean region have resulted in a marked drop in recent years of traffic through the Bahamas. But with direct commercial airline links to the UK and a modern container facility in Freeport, the Bahamas remains a potential threat for direct trafficking to Europe. The Bahamians have made important cocaine seizures in sea containers in transit destined for Europe from Colombia.
In light of drug trafficking, pack all luggage yourself and do not carry anything through Customs for anyone else unless you are certain of the contents.
Both Nassau and Freeport boast a wide variety of excellent hotels and resorts. Although Bahamian hotels are more used to catering to the vacationer rather than the business traveler, many large hotels have business centers. Hotels vary in size and facilities. There are luxury hotels offering full porter, bell and room service, planned activities, sports, shops and beauty salons, swimming pools and entertainment; some have a private beach, golf course and tennis courts. Double and single rooms are often the same price. The small hotels are more informal and while activities are less extensive, they usually offer a dining room and bar. There are new resorts situated on New Providence Island, which has sporting facilities and luxury accommodation. Some hotels include service charge on the bill.
Communications systems in the Bahamas are modern an reliable. Telephone IDD service is available. The country code is 1 441 and the international outgoing code: 011. New Providence and all islands have automatic telephone systems. The state telephone company, BaTelCo, offers both manual- and automatic-dial mobile radio telephones for use on New Providence Island. Fax services are available to the public at the Centralized Telephone Office in East Street, Nassau. Fax machines can also be rented. Post office hours: 0830-1730 Monday to Friday and 0830-1230 Saturday.
Electricity is 110 Volts, 60 Hz.
110 volts AC, 60Hz. An adaptor is required for 220V appliances.
A,B
There is a wide choice of restaurants and bars. Fresh fruit is available from the Out Islands, including sweet pineapple, mango, breadfruit and papaya. Local drinks are based on rum.
Things to know: Table service is usual in restaurants. National specialties:
• Grouper cutlets, rock lobster, baked crab and red snapper fillets in anchovy sauce.
• Peas are used a lot, in the token peas & rice, and also in pea soup.
• There is another unique soup that is definitely worth tasting called souse, consisting purely of
onions, water, lime juice, celery, peppers and meat.
• Fish n' grits is worth trying: fish cooked with salt pork, onions, and green peppers served with grits as a morning meal.
• Fresh fruit is available from the Out Islands, including pineapple, mango, breadfruit and papaya.
• Chicken and dough (dumplings).
• Conch is everywhere, and is popular in chowder, fritters, salad, scorched (raw and washed with seawater and lime juice, then rubbed with hot pepper, topped with fresh tomato and onion slices, served on a knife or skewer) and stew.
• Johnnycake is a mildly sweet bread served as a side-order.
• Curried mutton refers to either goat or sheep.
• Racoon stew.
• Guava duff is a dessert specialty of The Bahamas, made with sieved guava pulp, served with hard sauce (a blend of butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and rum).National drinks:
• The local liqueur is Nassau Royal, served alone or in coffee.
• A refreshing alcoholic drink is coconut water, sweet milk and gin.
• Kalik is the beer of The Bahamas.
• Besides rum punch, the three top tropical island cocktails are Bahama Mama (Vat 19, citrus juice, bitters, nutmeg, crème de cassis and grenadine), Goombay Smash (coconut rum, pineapple juice, lemon juice, triple sec, Vat 19 and syrup) and Yellowbird (crème de banana liqueur, Vat 19, orange and pineapple juice, apricot brandy and Galliano).
Legal drinking age: 18. Tipping:
15 per cent is usual for most services including taxis. Some hotels and restaurants, however, include service charge on the bill. Bellboys and porters usually receive US$1 per bag.Nightlife
Hotels have bars and nightclubs. Beach parties and discos are organized regularly. Live entertainment includes calypso, goombay music (traditional Bahamian sound) and limbo dancing. Nightclubs are found in Nassau and Freeport. On Paradise Island, Dragons and Atlantis offer nightclubs that serve up that classic Bahamian fusion of cultures: dance to club anthems interspersed with reggae and Bahamian classics. There are four casinos: one on Cable Beach, another on Paradise Island; on Grand Bahama, there is a casino in Freeport and one in Lucaya. All casinos feature restaurants and live entertainment.
