Tourism officials said 2018 has been a very good year for the country as air, sea, and stop over visitor arrivals continue to increase. 

Tourism Minister, Dionosio D’Aguilar, on Friday gave members of the press an update on the state of the tourism industry for the year ending 2018.

The Minister acknowledged what he called a healthy upward trend in international arrivals.

“Air arrivals to The Bahamas have continued its trend upwards since the last quarter of 2017 and have been consistently up by 15 percent since May 2018,” he said.

“Sea arrivals to The Bahamas have shown a 2 percent increase for 2018,” he added.

“Stopover visitor arrivals to the destination between the months of January to October year to date 2018 are up from all of the major markets of The Bahamas.

“USA up by 7 percent, Canada up by 12 percent, Europe up by 3 percent, Caribbean up by 13 percent, Latin America up by 4 per cent, and even the rest of the world up by 3 percent,” the Minister  added.

“Canada, with its 12 percent increase is by far our best performing market in 2018,” he noted.

There is  also the added fact that new and expanded airlift from major U.S. carriers like Delta and American Airlines, have strengthened connections to key markets of New York, Miami, Charlotte, Atlanta and Chicago.

In terms of hotel gross bookings, those too have increased. 

“In October, Expedia reported greater than 30 percent increase in room night sales and hotel gross bookings also increased by greater than 25 percent year-over-year from January throughout October.

“New and revitalized product is helping to drive tourism growth.

“Atlantis, Paradise Island has debuted a fresh, new brand and renovations reconnecting with its Bahamian roots.

“Baha Mar is now fully open, with three distinct properties welcoming visitors, and business is strong, ” said Mr. D’Aguilar.

The Minister admits robust marketing efforts were a catalyst to the growth of visitor arrivals. 

“We look forward to building upon the success and tourism growth from 2018 as we forge ahead with exciting new programs, partnerships and initiatives planned for the year ahead. 

“We are supporting and encouraging the development of new resorts throughout our islands that appeal to millennials and their desire for authentic experiences on vacation, and that appeal to consumers of all ages with particular passions and lifestyles.

“We will continue to work to reach millennials as well as repeat visitors seeking authentic vacation experiences and the natural beauty of all our islands through strategic partnerships and promotions, media relations and attractive programs for travelers.

“Our priority will be in continuing to position the Islands of The Bahamas as a premiere travel destination, evolving our branding to appeal to new visitors and promoting the distinct offerings across each of our unique islands, ” the Minister said.