The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

ATLANTIS is currently operating at 90 percent occupancy, according to the resort’s president, Audrey Oswell, who expects the first quarter of next year to match the strong performance of the first quarter of 2024

Speaking to reporters at Atlantis’ annual staff thanksgiving luncheon yesterday, Ms Oswell credited events like the Battle for Atlantis for contributing to the resort’s success.

She also acknowledged a slowdown in bookings during the recent US election period but expressed optimism for a recovery.

We saw that during the election and prior to the election in the US that there was a lot of distraction and our booking pace had slowed down, but it’s returning to normal levels now,”she said yesterday.

“We just launched our annual cyber sale, we are seeing a great response to that, and I expect that quarter 1 of next year will start to return to the levels that we saw in quarter one of 2024.”

She highlighted airlift challenges as a key issue impacting future performance, adding that key markets like the US Northeast, Southern Florida, and the storm-affected Midwest have shown positive activity.

“It’s basically depending on airlift, and airlift has been a challenge for us recently. It’s a challenge for us going into next year, and we are working with the Ministry of Tourism to really make sure that we have the airlift that we need to get our guest[s] here.”

In a press release recently, Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) officials recently reported that passenger numbers this holiday season might fall slightly short of last year’s record-breaking figures. The Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) noted that over 45,000 passengers travelled through LPIA during Thanksgiving weekend alone in 2023.

Meanwhile, Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association president Robert Sands has said the resort industry faced slower growth in the second half of 2024 compared to 2023. Similarly, Baha Mar president Graeme Davis noted that business had softened compared to expectations.

“We had high expectations throughout ‘24 from ‘23’s record-setting numbers, but we’re finding that there is a softening in the market, particularly in luxury, particularly in the Caribbean,” he said in September, adding that 2025 bookings were not as robust as initially forecast.