By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Air arrivals from Canada have surged by more than 75 percent year-over-year, the deputy prime minister has confirmed, helping to further boost the 10 percent rise in total tourism numbers for 2025 to-date.

Chester Cooper, also minister of tourism, investments and aviation, acknowledged the “slight decline” in air arrivals but said The Bahamas’ industry remains strong due to broader strategic efforts.

“Tourism for 2025 is up almost 10 percent. We are steady year-over-year in terms of stopover air arrivals. There’s a slight decline, but overall, we’re very positive. We don’t sit around and be arm chair quarterbacks. We focus on strategy,” said Mr Cooper.

He confirmed that a tourism delegation will travel to Canada next week to further expand airlift and build on the momentum from that market. “Next week we’re going to Canada. We see the growth in Canadian arrivals in excess of 75 percent year-over-year,” Mr Cooper said.

“We’re focused on strategy, and we’re bringing new airlift. We will continue to conduct these missions and tell the world that it’s still better in The Bahamas. We’re pressing forward. Whilst they sit and talk, we work.”

Canadian visitors to The Bahamas have likely increased because they are seeking alternative destinations to the US amid ongoing economic and trade tensions with the Trump administration. This has helped to combat some, but not all, of the decline in tourists from the US - which typically accounts for up to 90 percent of this nation’s visitor - base due to uncertainties related to White House policy.

The Central Bank of The Bahamas, in its latest report on August’s monthly economic developments, said of visitor arrivals for the first seven months in 2025: “On a year-to-date basis, total arrivals increased by 8.5 percent to 7.4m visitors as compared to the corresponding 2024 period. Underlying this outturn, sea passengers rose by 10.5 percent to 6.2m. Conversely, air arrivals reduced by 1.3 percent to 1.1m.

“More recent data from the Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) revealed that total departures - net of domestic passengers - reduced by 3 percent to 150,366 in August relative to the same period last year,” the Central Bank said of Lynden Pindling International Airport’s (LPIA) performance.

“In particular, US departures declined by 5.1 percent to 130,911. In an offset, non-US departures rose by 14.5 percent to 19,455. On a year-to-date basis, total outbound traffic decreased by 2.4 percent to 1.2m. Specifically, US departures fell by 3.4 percent to one million. In contrast, non-US international departures grew by 4.3 percent to 200,000.”

Mr Cooper, meanwhile, said the Ministry of Tourism is working on increasing the conversion rate of cruise visitors to stopover tourists by developing new experiences and attractions aimed at encouraging longer stays.

“We have a steady strategy to consistently grow stopovers. That strategy includes increasing airlift, it includes improving our product,” said Mr Cooper

“The number of things there is to see and do, we’re working with the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation to bolster heritage tourism, regattas, festivals. It works together, all as a whole. And that’s why we say tourism is everybody’s business. We all have a role to play.”

He added: “Quarter one of 2026 is looking strong. Fourth quarter is looking good relative to last year. We’ve seen some dips in stopover business, driven mainly by the fall-off in consumer confidence in our major source market, USA, as well as other geopolitical issues.

“We’re tracking slightly behind last year, which was a record-setting year in terms of stopovers, but suffice to say we are 10 percent ahead roughly in overall arrivals. We anticipate that this is going to hold towards the year-end.

“We expect that cruise arrivals will continue to be extremely strong, notwithstanding the armchair pundits talking about cruise arrivals. I want to point out that Standard & Poor’s (S&P), in its decision to upgrade The Bahamas, cited cruise, cruise tourism and the economic benefit, as one of the primary reasons for the upgrade, as well as the overall fiscal management of the economy. So let’s not sneeze at the significant growth that we’re seeing in cruise tourism.”