NASSAU, BAHAMAS- Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) executives say that the country’s tourism sector is experiencing “a slower than usual slow season,” even as the industry looks ahead to a potentially robust finish to 2025 and a healthy start to 2026.
BHTA president Jackson Weech told industry stakeholders on Thursday that while operators expect a rebound leading into Thanksgiving and the peak winter months, the current off-season has been challenging.
“We’re in a slow season right now, but most of us will begin our hopefully rapid ascension towards our peak season the week before Thanksgiving,” Weech said. “By and large, our tourism industry is experiencing a slower than usual slow season. While we have high hopes for a peak season, I anticipate that you will hear from many of my colleagues that we do expect to experience a robust end to 2025. Our forecast for first quarter 2026 is generally healthy. We still need to make up ground in the low of the low season.” He cautioned that if revenues during the peak period do not meet expectations, “we could fall short of anticipated incomes for the year.”
Weech underscored that the sector is being hit by both external challenges such as global economic shifts, geopolitics, tariffs, and weather events, and domestic constraints that are within the nation’s control.
“It is these self-induced headwinds that we must work together to recognize, evade or mitigate if we are to hope to achieve a trajectory of sustained success,” he said. “Some of these headwinds are the cost and ease of doing business. The Bahamas is a very expensive place to do business. We must work together to ensure that the cost and ease of doing business in The Bahamas promote growth, not stagnation.”
He stressed that the competitive landscape has changed dramatically with the rise of new tourism players, making it vital to ensure fairness across the sector. “The tourism industry is vastly different today than it would have been as recently as 10 years ago. There are new players who have come full force onto the field and are now dominating the tourism space. While our traditional park players are more than willing to rise to the occasion and play a fair game, we must work together to level the playing field and ensure we all can meet and compete as equally equipped tourism participants.”
Weech also called for enhanced collaboration and resources to support the sector’s ability to consistently deliver on the country’s brand promise. “It is equally important that all tourism businesses who benefit from operating within the boundaries of our beautiful Bahamas contribute equally and fairly to the public purse to fund these necessary expenditures,” he said. “We applaud the efforts that have been made to expand the financial net, but we believe there is more that can be done to improve compliance and ensure our benefactors contribute fairly.”
Speaking specifically about Atlantis Paradise Island, Weech noted: “Relative to the performance of the Atlantis resorts year to date, our August occupancy was down against budget and prior year, though our average daily rate was slightly higher. We’re currently in the slowest period of the year, which will continue through mid-November.” He added that Atlantis has taken advantage of the lull to close the Coral for maintenance, with reopening set for October 22. Despite the weaker occupancy, he said, “we have seen a really strong casino performance thus far this year.”
Planning is progressing for the full renovation of The Cove, which is expected to begin in mid-2026. Looking forward, Weech said the fourth quarter should deliver “a rather strong performance,” driven by events such as the Battle for Atlantis, World Series of Poker and Crown Gymnastics. “The forward-looking picture for festive continues to be healthy, and we continue to see growth there. We expect to finish in a strong position for 2025 and remain cautiously optimistic for 2026.”
Graeme Davis, president of Baha Mar, echoed Weech’s assessment, noting that the resort has also seen a weaker shoulder season. “We are seeing a very soft September and Q4. Year to date, we’ve been down about 4 percent or 5 percent year on year. Occupancy in September was around 30 percent, down about 20 percent compared to last year,” Davis said. He added: “Occupancy is projected to climb to around 50 percent in October, 70 percent in November, and mid-70s in December.” Still, he acknowledged that results are falling short of budget expectations. Despite the soft patch, Davis said Baha Mar is pressing ahead with significant investment. “We’ve committed more than $40 million this year in capital upgrades, maintenance projects, and new guest experiences.” He also confirmed that the resort plans to break ground in 2026 on a major expansion, adding 341 new rooms and 60 residences.
