The Bahamas is continuing a “meteoric” rise in tourism as air and sea arrivals reach unprecedented heights, marking sustained growth that has surpassed previous years’ benchmarks. As of the end of November 2023, the cumulative count of foreign air and sea arrivals soared to over 8.65 million, representing 41.8 percent surge compared to the corresponding period in 2022.

“Notably, air arrivals through November 2023, totaling 1,555,636, have eclipsed both 2022 and 2019 levels, boasting an impressive 18.6% upsurge over the same period in 2022,” reported Tourism Minister I. Chester Cooper.

Meanwhile, sea arrivals for the year-to-date through November amounted to 6,938,193, unveiling a nearly 50% from 2022 and 42.4% compared to 2019.

“This surge in sea arrivals underscores the consistent appeal and magnetism of our breathtaking islands among travellers worldwide,” Cooper said.

All islands, including Nassau/Paradise Island, Grand Bahama and The Family Islands shared in the surge, experiencing record-breaking overall foreign air and sea arrivals during the first 11 months in 2023, with Bimini leading Family Island overall growth with 110% compared to 2022.

Comparative foreign air arrivals only figures show Grand Bahama Island leading overall year-over-year growth by exceeding 2022 numbers by 38%, followed by Abaco, Nassau/Paradise Island, Bimini, Andros, Cat Island, Exuma, Eleuthera and Long Island, respectively.

Post-Dorian recovery shows Grand Bahama’s overall visitor arrivals exceeding 2019 numbers by 3% and 2022 by 53%, while Abaco’s overall recovery reflects 6% above 2019 and 27% beyond 2022 numbers.

Hotels

Highlighting the hotel industry’s flourishing performance, major New Providence/Paradise Island hotels witnessed a notable surge in November 2023, with foreign air arrivals exceeding the once-historic 2019 numbers by 17% that month.

These hotels recorded a substantial 70.6% occupancy rate, surpassing the 68.8% rate observed in November 2022.

Average Daily Room Rates surged by 16.7%, while revenue per available room soared by 20%, propelling overall room revenue to 16.8% increase during the month.

Visitor demographics

Cooper reflected on the visitor demographics, noting that over a third of arrivals were repeat visitors, including from Canada.

During this period, the statistics indicated that 62.5% of stopover visitors chose The Bahamas primarily for leisure, followed by 16.9% for weddings and honeymoons, 5.7% seeking the thrill of our casinos, and 3.5% for business purposes.

“Such a diverse mix of interests and motivations underscores the multifaceted appeal of our islands, catering to varied preferences and interests,” Cooper added.

He further noted that with December arrivals yet to be tallied, the Bahamas was on track to “easily” exceed nine million arrivals in total for 2023.