International arrivals in the Bahamas show a solid growth of 10.2 per cent year-to-date, maintaining the tourism turnaround that began in October last year.
The growth trend is driven by strong performance from the United States, but a 29.6 per cent increase through July in arrivals from Canada is also contributing to the overall growth story.
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & 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.
“Using our new tracking tools, we have seen double-digit increases in international arrivals and strong business on the books for future months,” said Dionisio D’Aguilar, Bahamas minister of tourism.
The ministry of tourism is deploying advertising across a variety of broadcast, digital and out-of-home channels in key markets, raising awareness of the destination.
An ambitious content marketing program complements this traditional advertising with the goal of inspiring consumers to explore more islands across the country.
The ministry expects tourism growth to continue as bookings are up 6.7 per cent over the August to October period and show a ten percent increase for the final two months of 2018.