With 9.65 million arrivals registered, The Bahamas smashed all previous tourism records in 2023.

“Demand for The Islands of The Bahamas remains at an all time high,” shared Chester Cooper, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments & Aviation for The Bahamas, during the recent Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Jamaica. “Cruise tourism performed exceptionally well, exceeding the 2023 level by 43.5 per cent. Forecasts all indicate that the robust trends our destination is experiencing will continue wth upward momentum throughout 2024 and we are already reporting 50 per cent ahead of the record setting 2023.”

In cruise news, Carnival Cruise Line is set to open Celebration Key in 2025 complete with cabanas, a beach, a freshwater pool, waterslides and dedicated areas for adults and families.

“They’re building an ultra-modern $600 million cruise port on the south coast of Grand Bahama, 20 miles east of Freeport,” he added. “Celebration Key is Carnival’s largest project to date, anywhere in the world. The new port facility will have the capacity to welcome 2 million guests annually with berths to simultaneously accommodate four of the Excel-class ships, the largest and newest in Carnival’s fleet.”

Also in cruise updates, earlier this year Royal Caribbean broke ground on its $165 million private beach club on Paradise Island. The 17-acre Royal Beach Club will feature three pools, two beaches, swim-up bars, private cabanas, food and beverage outlets, and more.

“This investment is a special public-private partnership where 51 per cent [of shares] are owned by Royal Caribbean International and 49 per cent of the shares will be owned and held by Bahamians with a national investment fund for the people of The Bahamas,” he said.

On the hotel front, one of the newest openings in the destination is The Osprey, a luxury villa resort that is housed on the site of the former Great Harbour Cay Resort, which was a popular stomping grounds for celebrities like Bridget Bardot, Cary Grant and Paul Newman in the 1960s.

“It was developed as a millionaire’s paradise and now fast forward to 2024, the site of the famous resort is now home to a new development known as Osprey, an island vacation retreat with beautifully appointed beachfront villas, cottages and suites situated along a five mile stretch of pristine white sand beach,” he shared.

Meanwhile, one of the destination’s most iconic resorts, Atlantis Paradise Island just completed a $150 million resort-wide transformation.

The resort unveiled refashioned guestrooms at The Royal; a redefined Atlantis Casino; and Paranza, a new restaurant at The Cove by Michelin-starred chef Michael White.

For even more resort news including the first Banyan Tree Resort and Residences in the Caribbean set for Bimini and what awaits at The Potlatch Club in Eleuthera, check out this week’s hotel and resort news column.