Visitor Arrivals Surge for Nassau Paradise Island

The Caribbean’s post-pandemic travel boom is particularly evident on Nassau Paradise Island, where visitation data shows a strong growth pattern, according to Joy Jibrilu, CEO of the Nassau Paradise Promotion Board (NPIPB).

Through July 2023, NPIPB reports a 15 percent increase in “total non-Caribbean [airline] seats to Nassau versus 2022,” Jibrilu said.

Additionally, passenger traffic at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) increased 33 percent through May, she said. Nassau currently receives 38 nonstop daily flights.

The visitor and airline data also corresponds with NPIPB’s statistics, Jibrilu added. “We saw a tremendous uptick in visits to [the Nassau Paradise Island website], with these visits converting into actual visits to the destination.”

Said Jibrilu, “Total traffic to our website through to June is up 85 percent compared to same time previous year.”

Additionally, “total website referrals to our partner resorts also increased by 68.2 percent to almost one million referrals to our member [resorts].

Nassau Paradise Island is at the center of a Bahamas travel boom. At the Nassau’s historic Graycliff Hotel. (Photo by Brian Major)

The top five Bahamas source markets visiting NPIPB’s website are New York, followed by Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and Atlanta, Jibrilu said.

The Bahamas this year has expanded airline access to the destination for West Coast travelers with new flights from Alaska Airlines and JetBlue to Nassau. The weekly JetBlue flights begin November 4 from Los Angeles International Airport to Nassau's Lynden Pindling Airport.

Alaska Airlines’ Nassau flights will depart four times a week from Los Angeles International Airport and three times a week from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport beginning December 15.

This year represents the 50th anniversary of The Bahamas’ independence, coincidentally coming during the 50th Anniversary of Nassau’s iconic Graycliff Hotel.

This month Bahamas officials hosted cultural shows and junkanoo music performances to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the territory’s independence from the United Kingdom. The establishment of self-government began on July 10, 1973. 

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