by Brian Major
Last updated: 5:01 PM ET, Mon April 8, 2019
Already among the top-drawing Caribbean destinations in 2018, the Bahamas is posting strong early 2019 visitor arrivals, said Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation officials in a statement. International arrivals to the tropical destination grew by 15 percent in January 2019 versus January 2018, and 11 percent year-over-year in February 2019.
Additionally, forward bookings for international arrivals from March through May are averaging 9 percent higher compared with the same period last year. The highest results are expected in April, whose 2019 bookings are ahead of 2018 by 15.6 percent.
Increased airline capacity has propelled the Bahamas' higher early season arrivals. Air capacity to the destination grew by 20 percent in January 2019 compared with 2018, driven by "solid seat growth from the best-connected international markets" said Ministry officials, led by the U.S. (up 23.9 percent) and Canada (up 12.7 percent).
The Bahamas' international air capacity grew nearly 21 percent year-over-year in February and "the U.S. and Canada will continue to lead capacity growth in the next three months," officials said.
Land and Sea
The strong 2019 arrivals follow positive results for other Bahamas tourism sectors in 2018. Hotels and resorts in Nassau and its Paradise Island district reported higher average daily room rates and revenue per available room in 2018 compared to 2017, Ministry officials said, and room revenues increased 34 percent in 2018.
Additionally, international air and sea arrivals totaled more than 6.6 million visitors in 2018, a 7.5 percent increase from the 6.1 million posted in 2017. Overnight, land-based visitors increased 16.7 percent year-over-year in 2018, while the cruise port in Freeport reported a 49 percent increase in cruise ship visitors the same year.
Fly Away
The Bahamas Tourism Ministry recently premiered a multi-channel marketing campaign featuring Bahamian-American rock star Lenny Kravitz, set to the lyrics of his hit song "Fly Away."
The commercial and supporting marketing campaign are designed to reveal Kravitz' personal connection to The Bahamas, and the "adrenaline rush" of exploring the archipelago's 100,000 square miles by boat and plane, officials said.
Behind-the-scenes video follows Kravitz around his home in Eleuthera. Supporting digital content is intended to raise awareness of the destination's diverse islands, including Freeport, the Abacos, the Exumas, Andros, Bimini, the Berry Islands, Cat Island, Eleuthera, Long Island, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Mayaguana, Inagua, Acklins and Crooked Island.
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