International arrivals in The Bahamas show a solid growth of 10.2 percent year-to-date, maintaining the tourism turnaround that began in October of 2017. The growth trend is driven by strong performance from the U.S. but a 29.6 percent increase through July in arrivals from Canada is also contributing to the overall growth story.
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation restarted robust marketing and communications efforts in North America telling The Bahamas travel story to consumers by bringing travel journalists and digital influencers to the country, and using strategic content and digital amplification to reach travel decision makers. The Ministry is already underway with the marketing program for 2018-19 and anticipates continued business growth supported by this work.
“We have seen very good news and gratifying results across major Bahamian tourism sectors in recent months and are very encouraged,” said Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar, Minister of Tourism and Aviation in a written release. “Using our new tracking tools, we have seen double-digit increases in international arrivals and strong business on the books for future months.”
D’Aguilar adds: “Lynden Pindling International Airport has reported historic arrival numbers for the country’s premier airport facility. Browse Nassau hotels on TripAdvisor for this coming weekend and you may see that most of the hotels are projected to sell out soon and we are seeing very strong occupancy rates. These outcomes are validation of the marketing and communications work we have been doing.”
A new communications program is underway for the 2018-19 fiscal year, with Grand Bahama Island hosting a group of influencers for an itinerary specially curated to develop visual stories to showcase the water, beaches and heritage of the island.
The Ministry of Tourism is also deploying advertising across a variety of broadcast, digital and out-of-home channels in key markets, raising awareness of the destination. A content marketing program complements this traditional advertising with the goal of inspiring consumers to explore more islands across the country.
The Ministry of Tourism expects tourism growth to continue as bookings are up 6.7 percent over the August to October period and show a 10 percent increase for the final two months of 2018.
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