King of Radio turns King of Junkanoo. Tom Joyner (right) is pictured with Ellison "Tommy" Thompson of the Ministry of Tourism (center) and actor J. Anthony Brown. (Photo: Derek Smith/BIS)

Nassau, Bahamas - Veteran radio personality Tom Joyner was crowned “King for a Day” as part of the junkanoo festivities that accompanied his stop in Nassau for the 2014 Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage.

Mr. Joyner, host of The Tom Joyner Radio Show, brought the sold-out seven-day cruise to Nassau as the first call from Miami, Florida. Passengers were ushered to Pompey Square by the sounds of junkanoo, and the party continued there with the music of the world-famous Royal Bahamas Police Force Pop Band. Guests were also entertained with limbo and fire dancing later in the afternoon.

During a brief ceremony, Mr. Joyner was presented with a special junkanoo crown and names “King for a Day.” American comedian J. Anthony Brown, known for his roles in the movies Drumline and Think Like A Man, also received a junkanoo crown as fans cheered.

The Ministry of Tourism is one of the sponsors of the cruise, which brought approximately 3,000 passengers to Nassau. Mr. Joyner said this is the second consecutive year that the cruise made its way to The Bahamas.

“Last year, we stopped for a concert with Earth, Wind and Fire and this year we are stopping for a cruise with Ice Cube and George Clinton,” Joyner said. “We love The Bahamas because The Bahamas loves us. They sponsor the cruise and they make it possible for people to purchase their tickets and that helps the foundation which helps students at historically black colleges and universities to receive a good education.”

Other notable performers on the cruise included Robin Thicke, KEM, Nelly, Shaggy, John Legend, Tyler Perry and Katt Williams.

Deputy Director General of Tourism Ellison Thompson said The Bahamas partnered with Tom Joyner because Mr. Joyner’s activities worked within the Ministry of Tourism’s strategic plan for promoting The Bahamas.

“For the Ministry of Tourism, we are very heavy on going after the African American market and Tom Joyner is a well known personality in the US and he has a huge following media wise. So we are able to get a good reach through him and through his show on the radio,” he said.

“We find that in order for us to grow in this market we have to make sure that we are networking with incredible people and people who have huge followings so this voyage is an ideal opportunity for us because they are coming into The Bahamas and they are spending money in The Bahamas as well. They have two more stops on the cruise and we wanted to make sure that they know it is better in The Bahamas. There are also some other entertainers and CEOs and we are networking with them to promote The Bahamas.”

Mr. Thompson said the Ministry of Tourism will continue to use partnerships to strategically reach its specific travellers.