NASSAU, BAHAMAS- Despite a record number of cruise ship visitors, The Bahamas is seeing a sustained decline in stopover tourism—a trend that Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Michael Pintard says the government can no longer ignore.
According to Pintard, the May 2025 Monthly Economic and Financial Developments Report from the Central Bank of The Bahamas shows air departures from the country fell once again, including a 3.7 percent drop in U.S. travelers for the month and a 2.8 percent decline year-to-date.
“This is not a one-off dip,” Pintard said in a July 1 press statement. “It is part of a troubling pattern of decline that can no longer be brushed aside or explained away by global headwinds.”
Pintard stressed that while cruise arrivals may inflate headline figures, it is stopover visitors—particularly from the United States—who have a deeper economic impact, fueling hotel occupancy, restaurant spending, and small business activity across the islands.
“Bahamians deserve to know the truth,” he said. “While cruise arrivals might inflate headline numbers, it is air stopover visitors who drive spending, hotel occupancy, restaurant bookings, and meaningful job creation. Their decline means lost revenue, empty hotel rooms, and missed opportunities for Bahamian entrepreneurs.”
He criticized the Davis administration for lacking a coherent plan to reverse the trend, accusing the government of relying on spin rather than substance.
“This government has no strategic plan to address the stagnation—only more spin,” Pintard said.
He said the FNM has already outlined a comprehensive strategy aimed at reversing the decline, centered on revitalizing downtown Nassau, empowering Bahamian entrepreneurs, rebranding Grand Bahama, and expanding cultural and maritime tourism.
Pintard also renewed his call for the reversal of recent tax hikes on yacht charters—measures he says have driven nearly half the regional market to competing destinations.
“Tourism is not a sector that can survive on autopilot,” he said. “It demands leadership, innovation, and investment in Bahamian talent and culture. The FNM is prepared to deliver just that.”
