The Tribune

Bahamian hotels are predicting a stronger first quarter than the same period in 2014, although the outloook is not uniform across all islands.

Resorts in New Providence and Grand Bahama are eyeing a solid first three months of 2015, with small year-over-year increases in forecast occupancy levels and average daily rates (ADR).

Family Island forecasts vary, depending on factors such as airlift and access to the destination. For islands where airlift is not an issue, forecasts were moderate for Family Island properties, with some reporting that increased group business is helping to boost their occupancy figures for the first quarter.

“Growing optimism by US consumers and aggressive marketing by the industry are primary drivers for the positive forecasts,” said Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) president, Stuart Bowe.

“The forecasted occupancy and average rate numbers present us with the opportunity to re-commit to the slogan ‘It’s Better in The Bahamas’ by providing our guests with exemplary service one experience at a time.”

He added: “Our future is tied directly to the quality of the experiences provided to our guests as the best form of promotion; word of mouth. While we cannot match the low price points of places like the Dominican Republic and Cuba, we must aim to provide the highest levels of value.”

When it came to Value-Added Tax (VAT) implementation, the BHTA said most tourism-related businesses had been prepared for the transition despite having to complete their work over the Christmas period.

It added that many industry concerns were resolved in December due to the collaboration between the BHTA and the Ministry of Finance.

The BHTA said ‘minor’ implementation issues arose with Point of Sale systems and ancillary system integrations when VAT went ‘live’ on January 1. Visitor reaction to the implementation was uneventful.

“We believe most businesses in our industry were as prepared as they could be,” said Mr Bowe. “Nearly 500 industry stakeholders participated in the 12 VAT tourism-focused readiness workshops conducted throughout the Bahamas in October and November.

“These workshops also helped to highlight a number of issues for the industry which required resolution and clarification by the Ministry of Finance. The collaboration was helpful to all parties concerned.”

The next stage of the VAT era will be the filing of returns by tourism-related businesses, including hotels, attractions, restaurants, marinas and tour operators etc.

Based on turnover, the majority of hospitality businesses will file either quarterly or semi-annually.