NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Out Island resorts saw a 77 percent drop in room nights sold (RNS) between January and November of 2020 compared to the prior year, according to data from the Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board (BOIPB).
According to the BOIPB data, room nights sold, a key performance indicator for member properties, in 2019 totaled 160,515 compared to 36,288 sold last year. The average daily rate in 2020 increased 43 percent to $309.34, compared to $216.28 the prior year.
BOIPB Executive Director Kerry Fountain noted that since re-launching the Board’s promotional/advertising efforts in late October 2020 for the November 1 reopening of tourism, website traffic on MyOutIslands.com in November and December 2020 — which indicates consumer interest in the Family Islands — almost reached 2019 November and December website traffic numbers, being off by just 10 percent.
The BOIPB is projecting that for the first quarter of this year, RNS for hotels with more than 50 rooms will be down 17 percent and hotels in the northern Bahamas with 50 rooms or fewer will be up by 72 percent, granted many were “out of commission” in the first quarter of last year due to Hurricane Dorian’s impact.
RNS for hotels in the central Bahamas with 50 rooms or fewer is projected to be down 39 percent and RNS for hotels in the southern Bahamas with 50 room or fewer is projected to be down 20 percent.
Family Island hotel room revenue and RNS in the first quarter of this year are forecasted to be 55 percent and 53 percent of what they were in the first quarter of 2019.
Fountain noted that with travelers to the United States now being required to comply with periods of self-quarantine in addition to having a negative COVID-19 test, beginning January 26, projections will likely be impacted.
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