In 1950, the Tourism Development Board was revitalized by member of the House of Assembly, Stafford Sands, and allocated a budget of £156,000 for extensive year-round promotion of The Bahamas in North America and Europe. The following year, the number of visitors to the colony more than doubled the annual level for the prior four-year period. Thus, began the Golden Age of Tourism in The Bahamas, with its world-class hotels, restaurants and exciting nightlife. This boom led to the opening of Nassau International Airport in 1957 to accommodate increased airlift, and the creation in 1964 of the modern Ministry of Tourism.
