Joined by dignitaries from both The Bahamas and Canada, and staff from the Bahamas tourist office, Bahamas prime minister Philip Davis opened the island’s first-ever Consulate General in Toronto this week amidst a flurry of positive tourism news from destination.

Following an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, members of the delegation highlighted The Bahamas’ steadily growing tourism numbers, plans for future growth and innovation, the beauty and appeal of its 16 islands, and the many reasons why The Bahamas continues to be a sought-after destination for Canadians.

The delegation expressed its optimism for the year ahead with Canadians set to find the destination more accessible than ever with Air Canada, WestJet, and Sunwing set to expand service to The Bahamas this fall/winter with daily flights to Nassau and weekly flights to Exuma and Grand Bahama Island.

Canadian traffic to The Bahamas has seen an increase of 223% in the first two months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.

“We are so pleased to have Canadians returning to The Bahamas,” said Bahamas director general of tourism Latia Duncombe. “In fact, in 2022, the Canadian repeat visitor rate stood at 54% – the highest of the major source countries for The Bahamas. Canadians visit. They come back again and again, and many have made The Bahamas their second home.”

Among the noteworthy announcements made was the unveiling of a year-long 2023 calendar of events and festivities celebrating The Bahamas’ 50th year of independence. More information can be found at https://celebrate-bahamas.com/.

The new Consulate, located at 2300 Yonge St. and is adjacent to The Bahamas Tourist Office.