It had been three years and eight months since I was last in Nassau. I can say that with definitiveness thanks to the cheery “welcome back” message I received on my WiFi log-in at the Grand Hyatt recently that indicated as much – although I would have recalled the precise timing of the visit since it was my last travel trip just before the pandemic struck. A lot has changed in the Bahamian capital in that time.
Thanks to my attendance at the Nassau Paradise Island International Travel Partners Conference (ITPC), which welcomed global travel delegates over fours days at the Atlantis and Baha Mar resorts, I got a glimpse of the new-look Nassau, which has seen new hotels transform the west end of the city in particular, and a new US$300-million cruise port emerge as the biggest game-changer of all.
Catering to approximately five million cruise passengers a year (on average 15,000-16,000 people per day) and able to accommodate three Oasis-class vessels simultaneously, the cruise facility (photo below) has transformed downtown Nassau, seamlessly feeding into Bay Street, but also emerging as a destination unto itself, where visitors can shop, eat (including ice cream), drink (including beer or a cocktail with an umbrella in it), or even have their hair braided.
With a mandate to be a beacon of Bahamian culture, there are also entertainment spaces including an art gallery and 3,500-seat amphitheatre; living coral exhibit; and an interactive Junkanoo Museum, where visitors can learn, touch, and feel the history of the colourful Bahamian carnival.
With more phased development to come, Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board (NPIPB) CEO Joy Jibrilu told Travel Industry Today, “We hope it will be the catalyst for even more transformation of downtown.”
That includes an extension of the new boardwalk all the way from the bridge to Paradise Island for about two miles past the cruise terminal to Junkanoo Beach and Arawak Cay.
Already complete is a restoration of the city’s Queen’s Staircase, which Jibrilu enthuses has “once again become one of our most visited and beloved landmarks.”
Hotels
But despite the “staggering success” of Nassau Paradise Island’s cruise industry – it accounts for 90% of all visits to the island – Jibrilu, is quick point out that Nassau Paradise Island’s hotels are equally important to the destination’s ongoing and future health.
Bookended by the ever-evolving Baha Mar and Atlantis Paradise Island mega-resorts, Nassau has also seen the openings of several smaller boutique hotels in the past year or so – among them the Canadian-owned Goldwynn Resort & Residences (Feb., 2023), a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, which inhabits a pristine stretch of Cable Beach with 81 studios, and one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites.
In December, the historic British Colonial reopened following a multi-million-dollar transformation that offers a redesigned lobby, new food and beverage outlets, and 288 completely renovated guest rooms and suites.
And most recently, a fully renovated Sandals Royal Bahamian reopened in January.
The British Colonial has the same owners as the Margaritaville Beach Resort, which opened in 2021, kickstarting the transformation of the west end of the city.
Meanwhile, the grand dame of Nassau, the tiny (16-room) Graycliff, continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024 under current (family) ownership, though it dates to 1844 as Nassau’s first inn, and boasts a renowned restaurant and, improbably, one of the world’s foremost collections of wines (270,000 bottles) and whiskeys.
Hailing the properties, and the 22 hotel members of the NPIPB, Jibrilu says, “Each of these properties offers world-class accommodation and exemplifies Nassau-Paradise Island’s commitment to excellence and hospitality.”
Moreover, she adds, they are a critical component of the promotion board’s mission to increase the number of stopover passengers, who on average spend about US$2,000 in destination, which is considerably more than day-tripping cruise passengers.
Canada
And if a focus on stopover passengers is paramount, it follows that NPI’s No. 2 market will get some love, not least through the efforts of its Canadian market representatives, Newmarket, Ont.-based Canlink Travel, which was re-engaged after the pandemic.
Canada garnered 8.3% of the visitor market (the US is the faraway leader) in 2023, and has edged up to close to 10% to date this year.
Jibrilu says premium travellers are the target, as are western Canadians who can now reach the destination via Alaska Air service from Seattle – a significant development that has seen the NPIPB market extensively in Vancouver.
Canlink’s Brent Carnegie notes that Toronto, Montreal and Calgary offer flights to Nassau with Air Canada and WestJet, adding, “and so many others (Canadians) come through US cities.”
Moreover, from the east, Bahamas also offers the closest proximity to Canada, he points out.
Nassau gateway
And while those visitors will have plenty of things to see and do in Nassau Paradise Island, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s director general Latia Duncombe points out that the city is also an ideal gateway to the Bahamas’ Out Islands, with Jibrilu quick to note that two-centre holidays are particularly popular amongst Canadians, presenting a “win-win” experience that combines the bustle of the city (including casinos and nightlife, along with an ongoing roster of new and proven events like wine, food and arts festivals), with the quintessential quiet island experience of destinations like Grand Bahama, Abaco, Eleuthera, or Exuma – the latter famed for its swimming pigs.
New campaign
In fact, “you’ll be hearing more about that (combo holidays)” when Nassau Paradise Island launches its new brand campaign – its first since 2017 – in the fall, says Jibrilu.
While still under wraps, the campaign will celebrate the things visitors love about Nassau (as determined by recently conducted research), such as culture, dining, and white sand beaches – and, of course, the notion that the Bahamas is more than just a cruise destination, and an “elevated” one at that.
In the meantime, Jibrilu directs consumers and trade to Nassau’s popular web site – nassauparadiseisland.com – which she says is proving to be a powerful tool for driving visitations, not least because of its engaging “Storytellers” series, which demonstrates that the destination offers more depth than its “obvious” attributes – great beaches and turquoise waters – such as cultural and sustainable opportunities like as the Coral’s Calling reef-planting program.
And Duncombe adds, for the trade, there is plenty of information on the destination available through the Bahamas specialist program, which boast 5,000 graduates globally.
In the end, Jibrilu muses, “Nassau Paradise Island is a perfect getaway for anyone craving a tropical destination.” And, she adds, reprising a famous Bahamas tourism tagline: “It’s only getting better…”