The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Nassau Cruise Port (NCP) yesterday said it surpassed total visitor arrivals for the 2022 full-year in just nine months with some 3.224m passengers passing through the facility by end-September.

The Prince George Wharf operator, in a statement issued yesterday, said the total number of passengers arriving at its facilities during the nine months to end-September was 11,000 higher than volumes seen during the 2022 full-year.

By September 24, 2023, the cruise port said it had welcomed 3.224m passengers for the year-to-date. By comparison, 3.213 passengers visited the port between January and December 2022. Company executives estimate they will welcome 4.2m passengers for the 2023 full-year, marking a new annual record.

“We are thrilled to have reached this milestone, and to do so just in time to celebrate our fourth anniversary makes the achievement extraordinarily special,” said Nassau Cruise Port’s chief executive, Mike Maura, in a statement.

“Our success reflects the resilience and commitment of the cruise industry, and is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire Nassau Cruise Port team, the Bahamian government, our community, and our industry partners. Together, we have transformed the Bahamian cruise tourism product and brand, quickly turning Nassau into a premier destination for cruisers around the world. The best is yet to come.”

Senator Randy Rolle, the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation’s global relations consultant, told Tribune Business it is now seeking to do more to lure tourists off the ships and drive them to downtown.

“We have to continue to push and step up our game under the leadership of the director-general [Latia Duncombe] and her technical team, who have been doing a phenomenal job. We are at the support level,” he said.

“Me and my team are here to ensure that we continue to increase events, and we up our efforts in cleaning up and beautifying the downtown area and making sure that the stakeholders are on the same page with us.”

“Everyone has their hands to the wheel. We have taken the approach that tourism is still everybody’s business, and we have a dynamite team at the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation. Everyone’s working together and so we’re excited about it. We want to increase the amount of things that are able to happen downtown.”