The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM officials say a slight decline in air arrivals last year was driven largely by airlift disruptions, including the sudden shutdown of Silver Airways.

Director General of Tourism Latia Duncombe said arrivals fell 1.6 percent amid what she described as multiple disruptions across the destination.

“I can give you the full listing of what we've seen and classified as disruptions, but overall, for us, we felt that the performance was strong,” she said. “Sometimes there are weather disruptions that could affect key source markets or even market activities. There's a number of factors that contributes.”

Air arrivals totalled 1.69 million in 2025, slightly below 2024 levels but above pre-pandemic performance, while stopover arrivals reached 1.82 million, holding steady and slightly ahead of 2019 benchmarks.

Pressed for specifics, she said: “The disruption related to air service - Silver. Some of the seats have been filled by other carriers.”

Silver Airways abruptly ceased operations on June 11 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Florida. At the time, Dr Kenneth Romer, Director of Aviation and Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Tourism, said the Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board alerted Family Island properties to potential disruption and smaller carriers, including Makers Air and Tropic Ocean, stepped in.

He described Silver’s projected contribution of 80,000 passengers from June to December as significant, particularly for the Family Islands.

Meanwhile, cruise arrivals reached 10.66 million for 2025, a 14 percent increase year-over-year, while December alone recorded 1.38 million visitors, up 20.5 percent over December 2024.

The United States remained the dominant source market, accounting for 84 percent of stopover arrivals with an average six-night stay. Canada represented seven percent, with visitors staying an average of nine nights and arrivals rising 11 percent year-over-year, supported by 45 weekly flights across multiple islands.

Europe accounted for five percent of stopover arrivals and produced the longest average stays of nine nights, with December 2025 delivering the strongest United Kingdom performance. Latin America represented two percent of stopovers with an eight-night average stays.

The meetings, incentives, conferences and events segment also expanded sharply.