NASSAU, BAHAMAS- The short-term vacation rental market continued its upward trend in April, with total room nights sold rising by 23.2 percent to 78,193 compared to the same month last year, according to the Central Bank of The Bahamas.
In its Monthly Economic and Financial Developments report for April, the Central Bank noted that average daily rates also strengthened, climbing by 8.9 percent to $580.21 for entire place listings and by 3.1 percent to $193.30 for hotel-comparable units. Occupancy levels increased across the board, reaching 52.0 percent for entire place listings, up from 46.3 percent a year earlier, and 48.9 percent for hotel-comparable listings, up from 45.4 percent.
On a year-to-date basis, total room nights sold expanded by 12.0 percent, while average daily rates rose by 8.2 percent for entire place listings and 4.2 percent for hotel-comparable units.
The Central Bank also reported that monthly tourism output was buoyed by continued strength in the cruise segment, though growth in stopover arrivals remained more subdued due to capacity constraints. Official figures from the Ministry of Tourism revealed that total arrivals grew by 7.1 percent to 1.2 million visitors in March 2025, compared to 1.1 million in the same month last year. This was driven by a 9.2 percent rise in sea arrivals to 1.0 million, while air arrivals declined by 2.5 percent to 0.2 million.
By destination, total visitors to New Providence increased by 12.5 percent to 0.6 million, as an 18.8 percent rise in sea passengers to 0.5 million outweighed a 3.6 percent decrease in air arrivals to 0.1 million. Arrivals to the Family Islands grew by 4.1 percent to 0.6 million, with sea arrivals up 4.6 percent and air arrivals down 1.2 percent to 45,275. In contrast, Grand Bahama saw total arrivals fall to 46,504 from 55,606 a year earlier, as a 20.2 percent drop in sea visitors to 38,895 eclipsed an 11.2 percent increase in air passengers to 7,609.
On a year-to-date basis, total visitor arrivals rose by 9.0 percent to 3.3 million, largely reflecting an 11.4 percent increase in sea arrivals to 2.8 million. Air arrivals, however, declined by 3.3 percent to 0.5 million.
Meanwhile, airport traffic data from the Nassau Airport Development Company showed that total departures—excluding domestic travelers—rose by 2.5 percent to 0.2 million in April. U.S. departures increased by 1.1 percent to 132,980, while non-U.S. international departures surged by 12.0 percent to 22,432. Despite the April gains, year-to-date outbound air traffic declined by 2.0 percent to 0.6 million, with U.S. departures down 2.6 percent to 0.5 million and non-U.S. international departures up 1.0 percent to 0.1 million.
