The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association's (BHTA) president yesterday predicted that resorts will enjoy increases in occupancy and yield during 2024 after a “very strong” Christmas and New Year season.

Robert Sands told Tribune Business: “This year was similar to last year because Christmas is Christmas, and New Year’s is the strongest time of the year. What would have been different would have been the rates that they would have achieved, with maybe higher room rates and maybe a slight increase in the length of stay. But the occupancy levels would have remained high because it is the premium time of the year.”

Total visitor arrivals for the first nine months of 2023 equalled pre-COVID’s 2019 full-year record of 7.2m, with hotel room rates almost 60 percent higher. The Bahamas passed its eight million visitor target for the 2023 full-year in October, and Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister and minister of tourism, investments and aviation, says this nation received "well in excess" of nine million tourists.

Mr Sands said: “I think we are going to continue to see improvements both in occupancy and in yields for 2024 for a multiplicity of reasons. The Bahamas brand is gaining strength and it continues to become strong. We have very high profile brands.

“Also, within the islands of The Bahamas, you have additional capacity coming online slowly. We are close in terms of flying times and distance from our major market, which is the US. Tourism growth worldwide continues to grow, and we will continue to be the beneficiary of that arrangement.”

Despite the possibility of a slowdown in the US economy, and the uncertainty that the 2024 presidential election may produce, Mr Sands said The Bahamas and its tourism product should withstand any resulting fall-out.