NASSAU, BAHAMAS- The tourism sector recorded a slightly strengthened performance in the first quarter, with total foreign arrivals rising 17.5 per cent to 3.8 million visitors compared to the same period in the previous year, supported by robust growth in sea arrivals and gains in the high-value air segment, according to the Central Bank of The Bahamas’ Quarterly Economic Review for March 2026.
The Central Bank noted that the improvement came despite ongoing capacity constraints in parts of the sector.
Data from the Ministry of Tourism showed that sea arrivals expanded 19.6 per cent to 3.3 million visitors during the review period, while the higher-spending air segment increased 5.2 per cent to 0.5 million visitors. This compared with a 3.3 per cent decline in air arrivals during the same period in 2025.
An analysis by major port of entry showed broad-based gains across the country. Grand Bahama recorded a significant improvement in total arrivals, rising to 0.4 million visitors from 0.1 million in the previous year, driven by a fourfold increase in sea traffic linked to the offshore cruise destination facility and a 4.8 per cent rise in air arrivals.
In New Providence, total arrivals increased 8.3 per cent to 1.7 million visitors, supported by a 6.6 per cent increase in air passengers and an 8.9 per cent rise in sea traffic. The Family Islands also recorded growth of 8.0 per cent to 1.8 million visitors, reflecting an 8.5 per cent increase in sea traffic and a marginal 0.3 per cent gain in air arrivals.
The private vacation rental market also benefited from the rise in stopover visitors during the quarter. Data from AirDNA showed total room nights sold increased 10.8 per cent to 196,516, driven by a 11.8 per cent increase in hotel-comparable listings to 76,184 and a 10.1 per cent rise in entire-place listings to 120,332.
In the previous year, total room nights sold grew 4.5 per cent, with hotel-comparable listings increasing 3.1 per cent and entire-place listings rising 5.4 per cent.
Average occupancy rates moved in mixed directions. Hotel-comparable listings increased by 3.6 percentage points to 56.9 per cent, while occupancy for entire-place listings declined by 2.6 percentage points to 55.1 per cent. Pricing trends strengthened, with average daily rates for hotel-comparable listings rising 6.2 per cent to 182.31 dollars and entire-place listings increasing 6.0 per cent to 700.05 dollars.
According to data from the Nassau Airport Development Company Limited, total departures—net of domestic passengers—rose 4.6 per cent to 0.4 million, rebounding from a 3.6 per cent decline in the prior year. Non-US international departures increased sharply by 44.7 per cent during the quarter, while US departures, which accounted for 78.9 per cent of total traffic or approximately 0.3 million passengers, declined 2.6 per cent.
