Tourism performance in the Bahamas is off the charts. Numbers have far outpaced projections for the first seven months of 2023, with more than 5.89 million arrivals from January through the end of July. The country is well on its way to closing out the year at 8 million plus visitors.
Of the 5,893,118 visitors through July, 1,133,494 arrived by air, 4,759,624 by sea. July year-to-date overall arrivals are pacing 59% ahead of 2022 -- and 30% ahead of 2019, the busiest year on record.
Bahamas tourism officials say overall tourist spending is also up significantly. Major large New Providence hotels are experiencing increased occupancy and length of stay rates for 2023, while Average Daily Rate (ADR) is up an average of 59% compared to 2019.
The newly revitalized Nassau Cruise Port. (Photo Credit: Bahamas Ministry of Tourism)
"The stronger than expected results speak to vibrancy of The Bahamas' brand, methodical business strategies and the hard work of tourism industry professionals and stakeholders,” said the Hon. I. Chester Cooper, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister of Tourism.
"We are seeing record arrivals, because we have all worked together to resuscitate our tourism industry, coming out of the pandemic, and, because we continue to improve our tourism product."
Cruise arrivals in the Bahamas are up 72.1% January through July, over the corresponding period last year, 43% ahead of the 2019 historic cruise arrivals figures.
The destination's biggest source market for visitors remains the U.S., representing 90% of overall visitor arrivals, followed by Canada and The United Kingdom/Europe.
Atlantis Paradise Island. (photo via Atlantis Paradise Island) (Photo Credit: (photo via Atlantis Paradise Island))
Deputy Prime Minister Cooper says The Bahamas, and Nassau in particular, is poised to see more tourism growth.
"With a better developed downtown to complement the new cruise port and added destinations within The Bahamas coming on stream, the numbers will only continue to grow, if we continue to deliver great service and experiences. The plan for the redevelopment of Family Island airports will reap rewards for Bahamians well into the future," he said.
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