A destination needs three things to thrive and survive in the fickle world of tourism: access, awareness and activities. And whereas the Bahamian “out islands” of the Exumas scores grade A marks in two of three categories, they critically lack awareness, says Emmett Saunders of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.

“When people come here, we want them to say they were in Exuma, not the Bahamas,” says the senior manager of the BTM’s Exuma office, himself a proud island native, who notes that the Exumas comprise 365 islands and cays, making up more than half of the 700 islands of the Bahamas.

Presumably that notion extends to astronauts who regularly marvel at the 209-km-long archipelago, and for whom Great Exuma is considered “one of the recognizable points on the planet,” not least for its renowned azure waters. Of the view, NASA space shuttle resident Chris Kelly tweeted, “Been hanging with the Bahamas, it never gets old” – prompting the Bahamas to extend him an invitation for a “well earned vacation” when he got home.

Back on earth, one of the islands – Big Major Cay – goes some ways towards helping diminish the Exumas’ awareness deficit. It is home to the Bahamas’ famous swimming pigs, a group of several dozen wild animals on the uninhabited island that eagerly frolic with visitors in hopes of being fed.

The shenanigans of the swine, including a posse of adorable piglets, attracts thousands of visitors each year to “Pig Beach,” including celebrities who are rarely shy about inundating social media with testaments of their experience. The animals have also notoriously been plied with beer and rum by drunken tourists (who are the pigs?).

But on our late January visit, the beach was virtually empty – except for the expectant pigs – and bread was the special of the day. To be accurate, one does not exactly swim with the pigs, rather they swim out to anchoring boats to receive snacks. It is sufficiently shallow to wade with the pigs, but they are wild enough to warrant scrambling to the beach, where one is instructed to raise empty hands in the air if the pigs get too pushy. At the same time, the pigs are accustomed enough to humans to, in some cases, allow petting or even being picked up (the piglets) to be cuddled.

As the only way to reach the pigs is by water, one must depend on their own yacht, or for most mortals, join a tour from Great Exuma or another inhabited island. The trip out takes about two hours and usually features stops to feed and pet nurse sharks at Castaway Cay; snorkel in the James Bond “Thunderball Grotto” (named after the movie, which had scenes filmed there); stroll on a particular “mile-long” sandbar; and feed lettuce to iguanas on an island dubbed “Jurassic Park”; plus have lunch at a local restaurant. Private island homes of celebrities are also spied. Collectively, if not for the pigs alone, the day-long excursion is a must-do for visitors.

While Exuma may truly be hog heaven, the activities list in the destination is lengthy and is naturally weighted with water-based options, from boating/sailing to fishing, jet skis, kayaking, and snorkelling/diving. There are also land-based activities such as birdwatching and golf, the latter at Sandals’ Greg Norman-designed course on Great Exuma, which is of sufficient quality to have recently hosted a PGA event.

The five-star Sandals Emerald Bay resort (adults only) dominates the island in terms of accommodation with 245 rooms and 11 restaurants set on 200 tropical hectares, and is considered a jewel in the Sandals chain, and rightly so.

However, there are close to two dozen smaller and boutique options in George Town and around Great Exuma, along with numerous beachside condos. Airbnb has also begun to take hold.

Now known as a celebrity playground with many palatial homes (we saw island retreats belonging to Tim McGraw/Faith Hill and David Copperfield), the Exumas’ history recalls and, in some cases, commemorates, slave and pirate (including Captain Kidd) inhabitants. And culturally, the islands are flush with year-round festivals, sailing regattas, homecomings and an October marathon.

“When people arrive, they have to have things to do,” observes Saunders, referencing the aforementioned three A’s of tourism success.

As for the first A – access – Exuma’s capital, George Town, is connected to New Providence, including by Bahamas Air, with frequent flights, which take about 40 minutes, thereby making the islands an easy add-on or onward destination from Nassau/Paradise Island. Canadians can also go direct on weekly Air Canada flights from Toronto (twice weekly in season).

Notably untouched by Hurricane Dorian, which devastated northern parts of the Bahamas (Exuma lies south of Nassau), in September 2019, the islands’ charms are starting to resonate, seeing about 70,000 visitors annually, though that’s still only a fraction of the 7 million visitors the Bahamas collectively recorded last year.

But with visitations having doubled in the past several years, it won’t be long – at least if Emmett Saunders has anything to say about it – until Exuma is hogging all the attention in the Bahamas.