Golden Horizons Set For Nassau and The Bahamas

With an even bigger and better array of product offerings, stronger airlift support, and a new $250 million property development, The Pointe, on the horizon, tourism to the Bahamas continues to be on the rise. Last week TravelPulse attended the International Travel Partners Conference in Nassau Paradise Island where we got the opportunity to talk to officials during an exclusive briefing about the newly opened Baha Mar and its impact on product offerings in Nassau.

“When you look at what their [Baha Mar] brand offerings are, they are very different. SLS is a totally different audience, Rosewood is a different audience, they [hotel guests] are very loyal to those brands. Hyatt brings a whole new element, they are doing a lot of group business but they have their own operation,” said Fred Lounsberry, CEO of Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board at the Tuesday press conference. “Atlantis continues to flourish and they complement each other… and for repeat visitors, Atlantis has been here for 30 years and is a phenomenal experience but there are a lot of people who don’t go back and we gave them another reason to come back.”

Canada continues to be a primary market, not just for Nassau Paradise island, but for Bahamas Tourism in general. Both boards have put addition effort into marketing Bahamas as a premiere sun destination for Canadians and those efforts seem to be paying off as Canadian visitation had the most significant year-over-year growth of all markets, up an astounding 88% since 2017. To manage the increased demand Canadian carriers have also created further interest in the Bahamas by expanded their airlift offerings.

“We put more marketing effort in Canada. We treat Canada, Toronto and Montreal primarily, on the same level as New York because those are the numbers. You really are our third biggest market… so we make sure we treat it exactly the way it should be treated as a big market,” continued Mr, Lousnberry. “I think the results of that are West Jet and Air Canada adding additional service with larger aircrafts and additional frequencies, not just in the winter but summer as well.”

This momentum and growth is expected to continue as construction of The Pointe, a new 900,000+ square foot waterfront development, is currently underway in Nassau. The mixed-use project will include exclusive luxury residences, a much anticipated Margaritaville hotel, spaces for retail, dining and entertainment, as well as a marina and boardwalk. Each of the complexes that make up the 6-acre development will be linked via a winding boardwalk that will extend all the way to the cruise ship port. Cruise ship passengers will be able to use the boardwalk to easily gain access to all The Pointe’s restaurants, shops, and entertainment areas or offload completely to Margaritaville.

“I think Margaritaville is going to be a terrific addition next year and we haven’t had that pipeline of new product ever, so we hopefully can keep that moving. Atlantis and Baha Mar are going to continue to expand and add, so I think it’s good and we can keep the momentum going,” finished Mr. Lounsberry.

With all this in mind, one thing is for sure, between the new luxury product offerings that came with the opening of the Baha Mar and the slew of developments currently on the horizon for Nassau, no two trips to the Bahamas will ever need to be the same. The destination is seeing growth at a faster rate than ever before, making it easier to ensure that hotel rooms will continue to fill up, the island will continue to see an increase in repeat visits, and with the expanding array of product offerings, visitors are ensured a unique experiences each time they visit.