Exuma Secrets is built and researched independently by Doug Marsh and Melanie Barksdale — here's who's behind it and how the data stays honest.
Doug created the Exuma Secrets app and is listed as its developer on the Apple App Store. He is also a Bahamas Certified Specialist through The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism's specialist training program, certified in dive, romance, and group travel to the Bahamas.
Melanie completed the Islands of the Bahamas Specialization Program and is an official Bahamas Specialist, with Romance, MICE & Group, and Dive specializations.
The supplied certificate confirms Melanie's completion of the Islands of the Bahamas Specialization Program and her Romance, MICE & Group, and Dive Specialist badges.
Place pages can combine independently prepared editorial information, traveler ratings and reviews, and factual details supplied by a business. Traveler reviews keep their dates so readers can judge freshness. Businesses can pay for exactly two clearly separate things: a monthly listing fee (free for Bahamian-owned businesses) and featured placement. Neither can change a traveler rating, edit a traveler review, or buy a favorable editorial conclusion.
It won't cover islands we can't research properly — it's Exuma or nothing. It won't sell your data to advertisers beyond the standard ads that keep the free tier free (and Premium removes even those, for $0.99 a month). And it won't quietly swap traveler reviews for sponsored content.