In a 12 months that exceeded all expectations, The Bahamas has solidified its standing as a premier world vacation spot, breaking earlier tourism data with over 9.65 million arrivals in 2023.
A Historic Milestone in Tourism
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation introduced a record-breaking 9,654,838 guests in 2023. This exceptional achievement represents a 38% enhance over 2022 and a 33% enhance from the earlier document set in 2019.
This surge in tourism was pushed by a major 17% enhance in international air arrivals and an unprecedented 43.5% rise in sea arrivals, highlighting The Bahamas’ reputation as a cruise vacation spot.
Sea arrivals alone jumped from 5,530,462 guests in 2022 to 7,934,858 in 2023.
“The Bahamas has not solely surpassed its targets however has set new benchmarks within the tourism business,” mentioned Hon. I. Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister and minister of Tourism, Investments & Aviation. “This record-breaking 12 months is a transparent indication of The Bahamas’ place as a top-tier vacation spot for vacationers in search of unparalleled experiences.”
Learn Additionally: Floor Damaged for New Cruise Port in The Bahamas
The distribution of tourists throughout the 16-island vacation spot moreover broke tourism data. New Windfall, Grand Bahama, and the Household Islands all noticed substantial will increase in customer numbers.
New Windfall, that includes the spectacular Nassau Cruise Port and terminal, obtained 4,441,540 whole guests, marking a 36% enhance from the earlier 12 months.
Grand Bahama adopted with a formidable 44% surge, welcoming a complete of 559,812 vacationers. Cruise arrivals name on Freeport’s Lucayan Harbour.
The Household, or Out, Islands that embody Eleuthera, Bimini, Nice Abaco, Pig Seaside and Harbour Island, skilled a 40% rise in customer numbers, with 4,653,486 arrivals through each sea and air.
The Gateway to Bahamian Tourism
As The Bahamas essential port of entry, Nassau Cruise Port, performed a pivotal function in The Bahamas’ tourism success in 2023, recording its personal numbers as barely greater than the totals from the Ministry’s document recordings.
The cruise terminal, which might accommodate as much as eight ships directly, introduced it has witnessed 4,490,802 passengers throughout 1,210 vessels. This document bested the earlier excessive set in 2019 by 14%.
Noteworthy achievements for the port included breaking its single-day passenger document twice, with the height reaching 29,316 guests in December. These milestones contributed considerably to The Bahamas surpassing its annual tourism goal, boosting the native financial system with over $6 billion in customer spending.
In January 2024 alone, Port Nassau welcomed 38 Royal Caribbean ships, 34 Carnival Cruise Line ships, 13 Celeb Cruises ships, 10 Disney Cruise Line ships, 9 MSC Cruises ships, 7 Norwegian Cruise Line ships, 3 Holland America ships, and one ship from Virgin Voyages, Azamara Cruises, and Fred Olsen Cruise Line.
February’s arrivals almost mimic the earlier month, and the Nassau Cruise Port goals to welcome 5.6 million passengers in 2024.
Latia Duncombe, director of normal tourism, mentioned, “As The Bahamas continues to welcome guests with open arms, we look ahead to constructing on this momentum. With our dedication to excellence and innovation within the tourism sector, The Bahamas is poised for even larger success within the years to return.”
As many massive cruise traces additionally operated personal islands in The Bahamas, together with Royal Caribbean’s Good Day at CocoCay (Little Stirrup Cay), Disney Cruise Line’s Castaway Cay, Holland America’s Half Moon Cay, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Nice Stirrup Cay, and Princess Cruises’ Princess Cay (Eleuthera), The Bahamas is poised to generated much more income from cruise tourism with the implementation of a brand new Worth-Added Tax (VAT) going into impact on March 1.
Ending a nine-year VAT exemption, the reform introduces an ordinary 10% VAT fee on companies offered on personal islands. Cruise traces proudly owning personal islands or exceeding $100,000 in annual taxable gross sales are required to register for VAT, which is relevant to a variety of companies, together with meals and beverage, leisure actions, tools leases, and spa companies.
