The Tribune

By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The deputy prime minister says The Bahamas likely received "well in excess" of nine million visitors in 2023 due to a "phenomenal" year for tourism.

Chester Cooper, also minister of tourism, investments and aviation, said The Bahamas had comfortably beaten its eight million visitor arrivals target for the year. The nine million figure, once confirmed, will be some one million above projections and 12.5 percent ahead of the original forecast.

The minister reiterated that the arrivals increase, which is projected to generate more than $6bn in visitor spending, has had a positive impact on the Bahamian economy.

“It's been a phenomenal year for tourism in the Bahamas in 2023. It’s been a record setting year," Mr Cooper said. "This year, we achieved our targets. We exceeded our arrivals by 40 percent, and we have done extremely well in terms of overall numbers. More important than the numbers, though, is the economic impact that these arrivals had on tourism, on the economy and on the people of The Bahamas."

He explained that as tourism is the largest industry in the Bahamas. "everyone is in the tourism business", and that various industry operators including hoteliers, vendors and taxi drivers have benefited "significantly" from the increase in arrivals.

“We are in the hospitality business and therefore, as a result of this business, everyone is in the tourism business. As we say: 'Tourism is everybody's business'," Mr Cooper added. "So the taxi drivers, the vendors, the hair braiders, the restaurant owners and workers, the hotel owners, operators and workers, the tour guides, everyone has benefited significantly as a result of these tourism arrivals.

“We are in the process of developing even more entrepreneurial opportunities through the Tourism Development Corporation to ensure the expansive linkages with tourism, and to ensure that the economic benefits continue to flow to all of the population and all segments of the population of The Bahamas."

Mr Cooper said he expects the final visitor arrival numbers for 2023 to be "well in excess" of nine million - the majority again being cruise ship passengers. He added = that a major goal for 2024 is to convert more cruise passengers to higher spending, greater-yielding stopovers.

“I think at the end of this year we will end significantly higher than forecasted. We recently celebrated our eighth million arrival; that was at the end of October," he added. "As the at the end of 2023, we expect that that number will be significantly higher. We want to wait until the final numbers are in, but it will be well in excess of nine million.

“We're very happy about this. We're going to continue to push towards achieving the 2024 goals, which will include not just arrivals but more conversion of cruise passengers to stopovers. We are going to continue to work to expand airlift. We have done a significant job in 2023 attracting new, direct non-stop flights from the West Coast.

"Jet Blue, Alaska Airlines and other airlines have added additional routes and additional seats. We're going to continue this effort; it has worked extremely well for us in 2023. We’re going to continue in 2024. We are receiving a large number of our guests by cruise, and therefore we are going to have a deliberate and intentional effort to see how we might convert more of those cruise arrivals to stopover arrivals.”