[2] The indigenous Lucayan people called the Exuma Cays as Curateo, meaning "outer far distant land".

The islands are a popular spot for yachting, sailing, diving, and coral reef and cave exploring.

Sandy Cay, just a short boat ride from Little Exuma was the location used for filming the Pirates of the Caribbean beach scenes and a Shell commercial.

Local transportation may consist of taxis, rental vehicle or golf cart depending on the cay.

Sea life regularly caught for commercial purpose include barracuda, bonefish, conch, grouper, jack, lobster, marlin, sailfish, snapper, tarpon, tuna and wahoo.

The George Town Fish Fry is a collection of businesses, some of which are only open at night serving a variety of cuisine.

The capital, George Town, is home to government offices, shops and services that serve both the traveling public and residents of the islands.

Their fair colouration is perfectly adapted as camouflage against the sandy ocean bottom, making the fish difficult to spot in spite of the clear Bahamian waters.

These areas are habitat for other types of fish including various snapper, grunts, jacks, grouper are possible to be caught throughout the fishing areas in Exuma while pelagic species like wahoo, mahi-mahi, barracuda, marlin, tuna, sailfish and more[14] are primarily caught in Exuma Sound.

High-speed internet is available from both providers with varying technologies such as DSL, cellular and fiber optic cable becoming available.

[16] The annual Bahamian Music and Heritage Festival, Regattas, Junkanoo and various "homecoming" events held in smaller settlements are highly anticipated in The Exumas by tourists and islanders alike.

The Bahamas is served by many newspapers, radio stations and web sites, whereas the local media on Great Exuma consists of The Blaze 98.3 FM.

Until recently, the tourist population on the island was extremely minimal, allowing anonymity for anyone escaping the spotlight.

Frequent visitors included Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, who stayed at the Goat Cay home of Babbie Holt, Jackie Onassis, Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, and Sigourney Weaver, who vacationed there with her family.

The Bahamian tax structure may be an advantage for some with the desire to establish residency, while others may purchase homes for private use or investment.

These include Aga Khan, Nicolas Cage, David Copperfield, Ali Daei, Johnny Depp, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Ali Karimi, Eddie Murphy, Eddie Irvine, Tyler Perry and Jena Sims.