The Tribune

The Bahamas is forecasting that foreign air stopover arrivals will break the two million mark for the first time in 2024 after more than 500,000 landed during the year’s first quarter.

The prediction was contained in a Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation release on the launch of Southwest Airlines’ daily non-stop service from Orlando to Nassau on June 4, 2024.

The ministry disclosed that foreign air arrivals for the first three months of 2024, which included the peak winter tourism season and most of the Easter weekend, totalled 504,000 for a 7.3 percent year-over-year increase. Based on this performance, the statement said: “End-of-year foreign air arrivals numbers are forecasted to exceed two million.”

That would represent a 17.6 percent year-over-year increase on the 1.7m air arrivals that visited The Bahamas in 2023. Stopover arrivals are especially important to the tourism industry and the wider economy because they represent the highest-yielding visitor segment with spending that is typically 28 times’ greater than that of the average cruise passenger.

At the end of 2023, The Bahamas received 9.65m total foreign air and sea visitor arrivals. Of that number, foreign air arrivals exceeded a record 1.7m, accounting for an increase of 3.5 percent over 2019 and 17 percent over 2022 comparisons.

This data was released as Southwest Airlines disclosed that its new daily non-stop flights will connect Orlando with Nassau at the height of the summer months. The Orlando to Nassau flights will operate from June 4 to August 4 with departures from Orlando and arrivals in Nassau.

“The expansion of Southwest Airlines’ central Florida route map to include a new daily service to Nassau is another testimony to the Government’s efforts and commitment to grow air stopover arrivals throughout our 16-island destination aggressively,” said I. Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister and minister of tourism, investments and aviation.

“We have been very strategic about driving and expanding strategic partnerships with airlines and our local and international industry partners, including our Promotion Boards and hotel partners.

“Part of our expansion includes an ongoing growth strategy in our southern, central and northern Florida source market, including Orlando, West Palm Beach and Tampa, to attract new airlift to Nassau/Paradise Island, Grand Bahama and our Family Islands.”

Southwest Airlines’ new route will come on stream on June 4 in line with the relocation of its operations from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando. According to Southwest Airlines, the airline has been serving Orlando since 1996, offering non-stop flights to more than 50 destinations across the US and the Caribbean.

Southwest is also the largest carrier at Orlando International Airport, accounting for more than 20 percent of all passenger traffic.