Noelle Khalila Nicolls

Noelle is an award-winning journalist and entrepreneur, whose passion is The Bahamas Beyond: Beyond the city, beyond the tourist zones and beyond the beaten path. She is a wild adventurer whose island-hopping, globe-trotting journeys have taken her to African mountain tops and Malaysian rivers, but most importantly, over 23 islands and major cays in the Islands of The Bahamas. She embodies the spirit of the Domestic Tourist, as the number one champion of travel to the Out Islands and the preeminent purveyor of authentic local experiences. You can read some of her work on The Domestic Tourist blog, and on the websites of the largest international publishers. For Travel + Leisure online, Noelle is the local Bahamas Expert. She also authored the Bahamas mobile guide for Telegraph Travel, and writes as their local Bahamas Expert online.
Contact: noelle@domestictourist.com

Noelle has had a rebellious spirit from childhood, never being satisfied with conformity or the status quo.  She uses her voice, her pen and her energy to advocate for the many things she believes strongly in, including social justice, human rights, gender equality, immigrant rights, women’s empowerment, black empowerment, cultural development, and ancestral celebration. She has been a panelist at the annual UN Women’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and a guest speaker at the regional gathering of WACC-Caribe, an association of Caribbean communication professionals. She is a director and volunteer in the nonprofit community-based organization The Indaba Project, which advances the spirit of Sankofa (go back and fetch it). This speaks to the idea of self-knowledge as the foundation of self-advancement.

Journalism is not something Noelle simply does. It is a spirit she embodies. The spirit of curiosity and exploration, discovery and storytelling. She’ll be the first to tell you, journalists don’t have all the answers, but they know how to ask the right questions. Noelle’s investigative talent and keen insight propelled her to the forefront of the profession when she worked full time in the mainstream media. She was a senior writer and editor at the Tribune, one of the leading daily newspapers in The Bahamas. With articles regularly displayed on the front pages, and in the paper’s signature news column, Insight, Noelle was known as a sharp interviewer who brought broad perspective and context to her investigative work. She has also written for the Jamaica Gleaner, a leading national daily based in  Kingston, Jamaica. She writes an occasional feminist column – The WatchWoman – where she explores gender issues, and an occasional political column – Talkin Sense – that provides commentary on politics, culture, and identity.