In a 12 months that exceeded all expectations, The Bahamas has solidified its standing as a premier international 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 outstanding achievement represents a 38% improve over 2022 and a 33% improve from the earlier report set in 2019.
This surge in tourism was pushed by a big 17% improve in international air arrivals and an unprecedented 43.5% rise in sea arrivals, highlighting The Bahamas’ recognition 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,” stated 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.”
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The distribution of holiday makers 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, acquired 4,441,540 complete guests, marking a 36% improve from the earlier 12 months.
Grand Bahama adopted with a powerful 44% surge, welcoming a complete of 559,812 vacationers. Cruise arrivals name on Freeport’s Lucayan Harbour.
The Household, or Out, Islands that embrace Eleuthera, Bimini, Nice Abaco, Pig Seaside and Harbour Island, skilled a 40% rise in customer numbers, with 4,653,486 arrivals by way of 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 increased than the totals from the Ministry’s report recordings.
The cruise terminal, which might accommodate as much as eight ships without delay, introduced it has witnessed 4,490,802 passengers throughout 1,210 vessels. This report bested the earlier excessive set in 2019 by 14%.
Noteworthy achievements for the port included breaking its single-day passenger report 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 economic 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 Superstar 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 practically mimic the earlier month, and the Nassau Cruise Port goals to welcome 5.6 million passengers in 2024.
Latia Duncombe, director of common tourism, stated, “As The Bahamas continues to welcome guests with open arms, we sit up for constructing on this momentum. With our dedication to excellence and innovation within the tourism sector, The Bahamas is poised for even better success within the years to come back.”
As many giant cruise strains additionally operated non-public islands in The Bahamas, together with Royal Caribbean’s Excellent 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 a typical 10% VAT price on companies offered on non-public islands. Cruise strains proudly owning non-public 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.
