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Monday, June 29, 2009
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April tourism numbers point to 12% growth By INDERIA SAUNDERS ~ Guardian Business Reporter ~ Inderia@nasguard.com: New arrival numbers for April may be pointing to an easing financial crisis, with total arrivals for Nassau up by 12 percent over the year-ago period. Overall, The Bahamas suffered a decline of 1.2 percent in visitor arrival numbers in the year-to-date numbers, although April arrivals saw a 4.5 increase compared to the same period in 2008. The latter is a difference of nearly 18,000 more visitors winging their way into the country, moving from 396,851 to 414,710. The climb is largely owing to an increase in sea arrivals. It follows March arrivals numbers that dropped by some 6.9 percent compared to the same year-ago period, with an overall drop for the country of some 2.9 percent. Connecting the dots, April numbers show there was a decrease of 0.4 percent of the total number of tourists flying to New Providence, although a 21.8 percent hike in those opting to arrive by sea. It's an increase that may have had little effect on improving the economy however, given on average, each tourist coming by air pumps more than $1,000 into the local economy and the average cruise passenger on about $60. In total, some 27,934 more people traveled to the capital that month compared to the 2008 period. Grand Bahama, on the other hand, saw a 5.9 percent decline in total visitors, representing some 2,360 less visitors that came to the island than the same period year before. The Family Islands were similarly affected, down by 6 percent, or 7,715 fewer visitors. The results come as little surprise given the more than 20 percent revenue slip many hotels and tourism-focused businesses have sustained in recent months. Still, the new numbers are the best indication to date that there may finally be a change in sagging tourism arrival numbers, with more than a full percentage difference in arrivals from March to April. It is to be noted, however, that the change comes with as hotels throughout the country make concerted efforts to attract guests, now offering discounted rates for stays. Executive Director of the Bahamas Hotel Association Frank Comito told Guardian Business last week that making the destination a cheaper stay was a balancing act. He asserted that while cheap prices would lure more guests, it would be hard to increase prices once the economy took a turn for a better. The increase in arrivals for New Providence also came as Tourism officials pointed to success in recent promotions — mounted in conjunction with several airlines — and a intensive focus on advertising. "So if you're measuring success in terms of how many bookings you've got, then you could very well say that 'yes we had specific calls to action [with] JetBlue,'" Nalini Bethel, Tourism's communication director said in an earlier interview. "Our advertising efforts went very well."
Monday, June 29, 2009
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