NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Tourism officials believe that Abaco is positioned for a full recovery in its airlift by year’s end.
Tourism Deputy Director General Dr. Kenneth Romer noted that air arrivals to the island at the end of the first six months of the year were 12 percent behind its best year in 2019.
Dr. Romer told the Abaco Business Outlook that data revealed that with Abaco as the first port of entry, air arrivals at the mid-year mark stood at 67,000. Noting that air arrivals contribute significantly to “heads in beds”, Dr. Romer stated that Abaco was making significant strides in its airlift recovery post-Hurricane Dorian.
“At the end of 2019, Abaco’s total air numbers for the first six months were about 76,000. In 2023, the numbers were about 57,000, far off from 2019, indicating about a 24 percent decline. In 2023, Abaco was lagging about 24 percent in overall arrivals. At the end of the first six months in 2024, Abaco’s numbers stood at about 67,000, trending about 12 percent behind its best year in 2019. We predict that by the end of this year, Abaco is going to be in single digits when it comes to overall air arrivals,” said Dr. Romer.
He added: “This is impressive because Abaco still has a room capacity issue. Obviously, there is significant demand for Abaco.”
Dr. Romer noted that tourism officials believe Abaco is positioned for full recovery in airlift by the end of 2024. Dr. Romer concurred with Out Island Promotion Board Executive Director Kerry Fountain that Abaco’s air arrival numbers were even higher than indicated when considering visitors coming to the island via New Providence on carriers such as Bahamasair and Western Air.
