by Brian Major
Last updated: 1:20 PM ET, Thu July 20, 2023
The Caribbean’s post-pandemic travel boom is particularly
evident on Nassau Paradise Island, where visitation data shows a strong growth
pattern, according to Joy Jibrilu, CEO of the Nassau Paradise Promotion Board
(NPIPB).
Through July 2023, NPIPB reports a 15 percent increase in “total
non-Caribbean [airline] seats to Nassau versus 2022,” Jibrilu said.
Additionally, passenger traffic at Lynden Pindling
International Airport (LPIA) increased 33 percent through May, she said. Nassau
currently receives 38 nonstop daily flights.
The visitor and airline data also corresponds with NPIPB’s
statistics, Jibrilu added. “We saw a tremendous uptick in visits to [the Nassau
Paradise Island website], with these visits converting into actual visits
to the destination.”
Said Jibrilu, “Total traffic to our website through to June
is up 85 percent compared to same time previous year.”
Additionally, “total
website referrals to our partner resorts also increased by 68.2 percent to
almost one million referrals to our member [resorts].
Nassau Paradise Island is at the center of a Bahamas travel boom. At the Nassau’s historic Graycliff Hotel. (Photo by Brian Major)
The top five Bahamas source markets visiting NPIPB’s website
are New York, followed by Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and Atlanta, Jibrilu
said.
The Bahamas this year has expanded airline access to the
destination for West Coast travelers with new flights from Alaska Airlines and
JetBlue to Nassau. The weekly JetBlue flights begin November 4 from Los Angeles International
Airport to Nassau's Lynden Pindling Airport.
Alaska Airlines’ Nassau flights will depart four times a week from Los Angeles
International Airport and three times a week from Seattle-Tacoma International
Airport beginning December 15.
This year represents the 50th anniversary of The Bahamas’ independence,
coincidentally coming during the 50th Anniversary of Nassau’s iconic Graycliff
Hotel.
This month Bahamas officials hosted cultural shows and junkanoo
music performances to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the territory’s independence
from the United Kingdom. The establishment of self-government began on July 10,
1973.
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