Tourists traveling by plane often have indirect routes to the main destination. They usually have a stop-over, which is when the plane lands in an intermediate destination before proceeding to the final landing point. A stop-over can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 10 hours or longer. In the Bahamas, there are many travelers who stop on Big Bahama Island before proceeding to Nassau Island. While these visitors are on Big Bahama Island, they're called stop-over tourists. Businesses and people living on Big Bahama Island cater to these tourists by offering short excursions. Stop-over tourists usually don't rent cars, so many businesses offer short tours on buses; tours can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes, perfect for stop-over tourism.
A cruise that stops in the Bahamas usually stays at each location for no longer than a day. Businesses and entrepreneurs cater to these tourists in different ways. Although cruise tourists stay longer than a typical stop-over tourist, excursions are often short, allowing time for multiple excursions throughout the day. Or cruise tourists can choose six to eight-hour tours that include lunch so they only have to worry about one tour during their short stay. These are usually bus or tram tours because cruise passengers won't have time to rent a car.
While stop-over tourists and cruise tourists have short time slots to fill with tours and excursions, leisure tourists have enough time in the Bahamas to rent cars, stay at hotels, shop and do many different excursions. These tourists stay on the islands a few days or weeks. The hotel industry and rental car industry depend on this type of tourism. The restaurant industry also caters primarily to this type of tourist, since they have time to sit down for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day they stay on the island.
Some folks don't travel for pleasure. However, even those who travel to the Bahamas on business have some free time to spend doing tourist activities. Sometimes these visitors, medical doctors for example, stay on the islands relatively longer (usually over a month): they shop at grocery stores and become more accustomed to local ways of life. So local businesses thrive on business travelers. Not only do they help business industries when they are working, such as the medical industry, but they also support the local economy. They eat at local restaurants, buy souvenirs from local shops to send home and enjoy traditional tourist excursions owned by locals.
