The Bahamas has gained a global reputation for several notable things: beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters, and more self-appointed Reverends per square mile than anywhere on earth.


I believe “Beaches, Banks, and Bars” was actually the official government slogan up to the mid-1980s, when the Bahamas Council of Christian Men and Women and Children and Aunties (BCCMWCA) objected that the words “Christian Churches” was left out.


Although not widely publicized, this pressure forced the government to change the official slogan of the Bahamas to read “Beaches, Banks, Bars, and Plenty Christian Churches with Really Reverent Reverends.”


Alas, I digress.


The inclusion of the word “Bars” into this slogan was strategically planned by the forefathers of the country’s modern tourism industry decades ago to capitalize on a nascent, but growing segment of the tourism market: the health-conscious traveler.


Now, I know what you’re thinking: I could have probably used a better word that more people would understand than “nascent.”


Nevertheless, New Providence--the formal name of the island on which the capital city of Nassau sits—today boasts two separate breweries to supply the bars on the island: one for Heineken and the local beer, Kalik; and the other for Bacardi rum.


You may be shocked upon first hearing this and remark to yourself: “Two breweries in Nassau? Isn’t the island only 21 miles long by 7 miles wide?” To which you may then respond to yourself: “Yes.”


However, the pioneers of the Bahamas tourism industry knew that if they wanted to attract the health conscious traveler to these shores, they needed bait. And what better bait than a catchy slogan and two breweries in a ridiculously small area?


The forefathers of the Bahamas understood something way back then that other countries (except perhaps Germany) are only today beginning to recognize: A beer a day keeps the doctor away.


If you don’t believe me, read it for yourself in Reuters (link).