The Ministry of Tourism has confirmed that tourist arrivals for summer 2018 have surpassed its expectations and will continue to skyrocket through fall.
Tourism Director General Joy Jibrilu confirmed as much during a recent exclusive interview with Eyewitness News.
Millions of tourist flock to our shores annually and the summer months are usually a top pick on vacation bucket lists for travelers around the world.
Summer 2018 is no different and according to Jibrilu, the country is experiencing a double-digit increase in visitor arrivals.
“I’ve been able to see our forward bookings straight through until August of this year and we’re still expecting and forecasting to have this double-digit growth,” Jibrilu confirmed.
“So, it would have been a strong first eight months for the year.
“It’s very exciting and of course something we’ve never had at that level through to August; in fact until November.”
The record increase in passenger arrivals is due – in part – to Baha Mar’s introduction to the market.
“What Baha Mar has done for Nassau and Paradise Island alone is tremendous,” she shared.
“Everywhere we go people are excited and talking about this new development.
“It’s (introduction to the market) also had an effect on all properties that existed. From Atlantis, all the way down, they all saw competition coming and they all had to refresh, rebrand and retool. That has translated into wonderful numbers for them as well.”
Jibrilu revealed that Family Islands are experiencing a huge chunk of tourism’s revenue as well.
“If we look at our Family Islands, in particular, Abaco, Eleuthera, Exuma and the Berry Islands; we have seen growth all the way up to 32 per cent and we attribute that to direct airlift from North America into those destinations,” she said.
Baha Mar and other hotels on New Providence have confirmed very promising forecasts for the summer months ahead.
It is expected that the record summer visitor arrivals will help to cushion any dips in tourist numbers during the usual slow travel periods during Fall.
