NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A special Bahamas Charter Yacht Show was held on February 25 at the Rybovich Superyacht Marina in West Palm Beach, Florida, with Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) heads touting the event as a resounding success for The Bahamas.
Originally scheduled to take place in Nassau, Bahamas, in February 2021, the show was moved to the Rybovich superyacht facility to accommodate international brokers and respect the current COVID-19 restrictions in place in The Bahamas.
According to Peter Maury, ABM president and owner of Bay Street Marina: “We simply could not let the opportunity to hold this event at Rybovich Marina pass us, especially when the international charter brokers were already here in Florida and 90 percent of the charter yacht business that comes to The Bahamas is booked through these brokers.”
Joseph Dargavage, ABM vice president, partner at Romora Bay Resort and Marina and chairman for the Bahamas Charter Yacht Show, said: “COVID-19 has changed the rules of engagement for doing charter business. The Bahamas government must be commended for its swift actions to curtail COVID cases, install digitized cruise and charter platforms and reopen its borders and economy, quickly and safely, especially as other destinations remain closed for business.
“As a result of this, the Bahamas destination has now been added to many new brokers’ schedules, and we have seen an increase in inquiries and charter yacht bookings to the destination like never before.”
The two-day charter broker-only show was organized by the ABM in partnership with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation and the International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA).
Participating in the show were 80 of the top charter brokers who book charters to The Bahamas, along with yachts ranging in size from 78 to 213 feet. Exhibitors included ABM, Staniel Cay Yacht Club, Romora Bay Resort and Marina, Valentine’s Resort and Marina, Bay Street Marina, Hurricane Hole Marina, Nassau Yacht Haven, Abaco Beach Resort, Tropic Ocean Air, United Island and Yacht-United Shipping and Makers Air.
Dargavage continued: “We are only beginning to scratch the surface of the potential revenue that yacht chartering can provide to us. In fact, The Bahamas is still in its infancy stage in this charter arena, and based on the feedback and interest shown in the Bahamas destination, I expect yacht charter business in The Bahamas to grow five-fold within the next five years.
“We also plan to conduct a series of small Bahamas charter show events in Florida throughout the year to further promote The Bahamas, its ease of getting there, safety protocols and culture.
“Plans are also underway to hold the 2022 Bahamas Charter Yacht Show in Nassau, comprising three days in Nassau with post trips to the Out Islands.”
Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar attended the opening and conducted one-on-one meetings with brokers, thanking them for their continuous support of The Bahamas.
He also educated them on The Bahamas’ new digitized Click2Clear cruise platforms, safety travel protocols, new marina products and destination experiences available to them and their guests.
D’Aguilar noted that despite the country facing “a slower rebound” from the COVID-19 pandemic, “we are indeed grateful to our neighbors in the north who continue to visit us by private aircrafts, boats and charter yachts, which have benefited our Family Islands greatly”.
“As COVID cases here in the US decline daily, and as more and more businesses begin to reopen and persons prepare to travel again, we want to remind you and your guests that The Bahamas — blessed with great beauty, diversity and geography, located 50 miles from the US, the world’s greatest economy and three of the largest cruise ship ports — is open for business,” D’Aguilar said.
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