By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
GRAND Bahama is showing significant improvements in hotel room revenue, which has hit $16 million this year - a $2 million increase over 2014, according to tourism officials.
Betty Bethel, director of the Ministry of Tourism in Grand Bahama, attributed the increase in tourism business to the Grand Celebration Cruise ship and the Sunwing Group, which are responsible for a total of 14,000 room nights per month on the island.
“Our room revenue this year is reporting somewhere around $16 million verses $14 million last year,” Ms Bethel said. “So, it is all good news and the MOT has been putting in new experiences for these guests.”
According to tourism figures, there was a 4.6 per cent increase in the amount of available rooms on the island this year. In June, there were 352,767 rooms occupied compared to 337,009 last year.
Ms Bethel said the ministry’s partnership with the Grand Celebration and the Sunwing Group/Memories and Vacation Express have proved successful. “They are two partners primarily responsible for our increase in revenue and visitor arrivals; they are bringing the most business at this time,” she said.
She reported that Grand Celebration is responsible for 6,000 room nights and the Sunwing Group for 8,100. Sunwing and Vacation Express provide airlifts to Grand Bahama from eight US cities, resulting in a significant increase in air arrivals.
According to Ms Bethel, the vacation tour group is looking at increasing air arrivals from two additional US cities next summer. “They are doing so well they are looking at introducing two more cities - Dallas and Chicago - which are not new cities to GB, but we have not had direct lifts in quite a few years from those cities,” she said.
In terms of sea arrivals, Ms Bethel noted that Grand Celebration continues to make a positive impact on local economy. “Grand Celebration is doing a whole lot more stopovers than the day trippers. They (the hotels) are getting some 80 per cent of stopover business from Grand Celebration, and that is a significant increase in their numbers,” she added.
Comments
proudloudandfnm 8 years, 7 months ago
Yes. The government is making more money in Freeport.
The people however are not. This is without a doubt the worst year Freeport has ever had.
All inclusive hotels are not the answer to our problems. They spend very little on the island.
Time to get real. Freeport is dying. Find out why and fix it!
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