Bahamas Tourism Statistics

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Bahamas Tourism Statistics for November 2026

The Bahamas received 1.84 million stopover visitors (overnight visitors) in 2025, 1.7% fewer than in 2024, and 10.66 million cruise passengers, 14.0% more. Total foreign arrivals by air and sea reached a record 12.50 million, and visitors spent B$5.38 billion (B$1 = US$1). In January–August 2026 stopover visitors were 4.3% higher than a year earlier.

How many people visit the Bahamas, where they come from, what they spend and when they travel, compiled from the latest official statistics. Full sources are listed at the bottom of the page. Headline numbers are for 2025, the most recent full year, with 2026 year-to-date where available. The headline count is stopover visitors, who stay more than 24 hours. Cruise passengers make up most foreign arrivals and are shown separately.

1.84m Stopover visitors 2025 · −1.7% · overnight visitors
B$5.38bn Visitor spending 2025 · −0.6% · travel receipts · B$1 = US$1
10.66m Cruise passengers 2025 · +14.0%
Record 12.50m Total foreign arrivals 2025 · +11.4% · air and sea, incl. cruise
+4.3% Stopover growth in 2026 Jan–Aug 2026 vs 2025 (preliminary)

Inbound visitors

International visitors to the Bahamas

The Bahamas received 1,838,168 stopover visitors in 2025, 1.7% fewer than the 1.87 million of 2024 and 1.7% more than the 1.81 million of 2019. The highest total in the series, which starts in 1974, was 1.87 million in 2023. Stopovers fell 8.9% on Nassau and Paradise Island and 16.9% on Grand Bahama, and rose 27.6% in the Out Islands.

1.81m 2019 pre-pandemic 0.44m 2020 pandemic 0.89m 2021 pandemic 1.45m 2022 1.87m 2023 highest 1.87m 2024 1.84m 2025
View data table
Visits to the Bahamas by year
PeriodValueNote
20191.81mpre-pandemic
20200.44mpandemic
20210.89mpandemic
20221.45m
20231.87mhighest
20241.87m
20251.84m

Stopover visitors stay more than 24 hours and do not use a cruise ship for accommodation; they are counted from immigration cards by island of stay and are subject to revision. Foreign air arrivals, counted at the first port of entry, were 1,688,794 in 2025 (−1.6%). Cruise passengers are not included. 2026 so far: 1,449,294 stopover visitors in January–August, 4.3% more than the 1,390,036 of the same months of 2025 (preliminary).

Visitor spending

What international visitors spend

Visitors spent B$5.38 billion in the Bahamas in 2025, 0.6% less than the B$5.41 billion of 2024 and 30.5% more than in 2019 in cash terms. The measure is travel receipts in the balance of payments: what non-residents spend during their stay. The Bahamian dollar is fixed at par with the US dollar, so the figures are the same in US dollars. Figures are nominal.

B$4.13bn 2019 pre-pandemic B$0.97bn 2020 pandemic B$2.32bn 2021 pandemic B$4.22bn 2022 B$4.75bn 2023 B$5.41bn 2024 B$5.38bn 2025
View data table
Visitor spend in the Bahamas by year
PeriodValueNote
2019B$4.13bnpre-pandemic
2020B$0.97bnpandemic
2021B$2.32bnpandemic
2022B$4.22bn
2023B$4.75bn
2024B$5.41bn
2025B$5.38bn

Travel credits in the balance of payments, B$ million, nominal, estimates subject to revision. 2025 total: B$5,382.5 million. The figure covers stopover visitors, cruise passengers and day visitors together; no split by visitor type has been published for 2025. 2026 so far: B$1,593.3 million in January–March, 11.0% more than the B$1,435.3 million of January–March 2025.

Source markets

Where stopover visitors come from

The United States is by far the largest market: 1.53 million stopover visitors in 2025 lived there, 83.4% of the total, 2.5% fewer than in 2024. Canada followed with 135,708 (+11.9%) and the United Kingdom with 37,152 (+14.9%). Bars show 2025 stopover visitors; the muted figure is the change on 2024.

  1. 1 United States 1.53m · −2.5%
  2. 2 Canada 135,708 · +11.9%
  3. 3 United Kingdom 37,152 · +14.9%
  4. 4 France 13,343 · −10.0%
  5. 5 Italy 9,314 · −11.0%

Stopover visitors by country of residence, 2025. The published table names only the five largest countries. Europe as a whole sent 96,595 (−0.3%), Latin America 30,136 and the Caribbean 22,202. 2026 so far (January–August): United States 1,195,106 (+1.5%), Canada 104,476 (+13.8%) and Europe 70,532 (+3.5%), preliminary.

Where visitors stay

Stopover visitors by type of accommodation

Most stopover visitors stay in hotels: 1.47 million, or 80.0%, in 2025. Vacation rentals and apartments accounted for 7.1%, timeshares for 4.6% and marinas and private boats for 4.6%. No purpose-of-visit split for 2025 was found, so this chart shows accommodation type.

1.84m stopover visitors, 2025
  • Hotel 80.0%
  • Vacation rental or apartment 7.1%
  • Timeshare 4.6%
  • Marina or private boat 4.6%
  • Other 3.7%

Shares of 1,838,168 stopover visitors, 2025. "Other" includes stays with friends and relatives (13,100, 0.7%) and other or unstated accommodation (54,908, 3.0%).

Seasonality

When they visit

Spring is the busiest season for stopover visitors. March was the busiest month in 2025, with 215,236, and the April–June quarter the busiest quarter, with 550,474 (29.9% of the year). September was by far the quietest month, with 55,856.

141k Jan 162k Feb 215k Mar busiest 187k Apr 175k May 188k Jun 191k Jul 130k Aug 56k Sep quietest 85k Oct 132k Nov 175k Dec
View data table
the Bahamas inbound visits by quarter
PeriodValueNote
Jan141k
Feb162k
Mar215kbusiest
Apr187k
May175k
Jun188k
Jul191k
Aug130k
Sep56kquietest
Oct85k
Nov132k
Dec175k

Stopover visitors by month, 2025, by island of stay. The twelve months add up to the annual total of 1,838,168. In 2026 March was again the busiest month so far, with 228,693 stopover visitors (preliminary).

Cruise ports

Busiest cruise ports of call

Nassau is the busiest cruise port: 4.14 million cruise passengers arrived there in 2025, 38.9% of the national total. Coco Cay in the Berry Islands followed with 2.28 million. A new cruise port on Grand Bahama, opened in July 2025, received 716,399 in its first months, and Grand Bahama's total foreign arrivals rose 91.2% to 1.09 million.

  1. 1 Nassau and Paradise Island 4.14m
  2. 2 Little Stirrup Cay (Coco Cay), Berry Islands 2.28m
  3. 3 New cruise port, Grand Bahama 716,399 · opened Jul 2025
  4. 4 Ocean Cay, Bimini 707,836
  5. 5 Bimini 650,311
  6. 6 Half Moon Cay 557,347
  7. 7 Great Stirrup Cay, Berry Islands 420,137
  8. 8 Castaway Cay, Abaco 389,684
  9. 9 Princess Cay, Eleuthera 344,868
  10. 10 Freeport, Grand Bahama 277,773

Cruise passenger arrivals by island area, 2025, as tabulated by first port of entry. The counts take no account of repeat entries by the same visitor at different ports in the Bahamas. 2026 so far: 8.18 million cruise passengers in January–August, 16.6% more than in the same months of 2025 (preliminary).

Accommodation

Hotels & occupancy

Select large hotels in New Providence (Nassau and Paradise Island) were 68.6% full on average in 2025, against 68.5% in 2024, at an average nightly room rate of B$413.22. In January–March 2026 their occupancy averaged 81.7%, against 78.2% a year earlier. The Bahamas had 16,097 licensed hotel rooms in February 2024. No 2025 occupancy figures for Grand Bahama or the Out Islands have been published.

68.6% Hotel occupancy, New Providence 2025 · select large hotels
B$413.22 Average nightly room rate 2025 · New Providence large hotels
81.7% Occupancy in early 2026 Jan–Mar 2026 · New Providence · 78.2% a year earlier

Economic impact

Tourism in the Bahamas's economy

Visitor spending is the largest source of foreign earnings for the Bahamas. Travel receipts of B$5.38 billion made up 75.6% of all current account receipts in 2025 and 91.8% of receipts from services exports. After subtracting B$252.1 million spent abroad by Bahamian residents, net travel receipts were B$5.13 billion.

75.6% Travel share of current account receipts 2025 · estimate
B$5.13bn Net travel receipts 2025 · visitor spending minus residents' travel abroad
91.8% Travel share of services exports 2025 · estimate

Balance of payments estimates in B$ million, nominal and subject to revision. Total current account receipts were B$7,117.6 million and services receipts B$5,861.4 million in 2025. No official estimate of tourism's share of GDP or employment for 2025 was found, so none is shown.

At a glance

Fast facts

  • 85.3% Share of 2025 foreign arrivals who came on cruise ships
  • 4.14m Cruise passengers arriving at Nassau (2025)
  • +91.2% Growth in foreign arrivals to Grand Bahama (2025)
  • 508,100 Stopover visitors staying in the Out Islands (2025, +27.6%)
  • 115,130 Stopover visitors arriving by private plane (2025)
  • 6.0 Avg. length of stay of stopover visitors (2025; 6.4 in 2019)

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How many tourists visit the Bahamas each year?

The Bahamas received 1.84 million stopover visitors, who stay more than 24 hours, in 2025, 1.7% fewer than in 2024. Including 10.66 million cruise passengers, total foreign arrivals by air and sea were a record 12.50 million, up 11.4%. In January–August 2026 stopover visitors were 4.3% higher, at 1,449,294.

How many cruise passengers visit the Bahamas?

10.66 million cruise passengers arrived in 2025, 14.0% more than in 2024 and almost twice the 2019 figure of 5.43 million. They made up 85.3% of all foreign arrivals. Nassau received 4.14 million and Coco Cay 2.28 million. In January–August 2026 there were 8.18 million, up 16.6%.

How much do tourists spend in the Bahamas?

Visitors spent B$5.38 billion in 2025, 0.6% less than in 2024, measured as travel receipts in the balance of payments. The Bahamian dollar is fixed at par with the US dollar. Spending in January–March 2026 was B$1,593.3 million, up 11.0%.

Where do most tourists to the Bahamas come from?

The United States. In 2025, 1.53 million stopover visitors (83.4%) lived in the United States, followed by Canada (135,708) and the United Kingdom (37,152). Europe as a whole sent 96,595.

What is the busiest time of year in the Bahamas?

Spring. March was the busiest month for stopover visitors in 2025, with 215,236, and April–June the busiest quarter. September was the quietest month, with 55,856.

What is the hotel occupancy rate in Nassau?

Select large hotels in New Providence, which covers Nassau and Paradise Island, were 68.6% full on average in 2025, at an average nightly room rate of B$413.22. In January–March 2026 occupancy was 81.7%. 80.0% of stopover visitors to the Bahamas stayed in hotels.

Using these figures?

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Citation

Bahamas Tourism Statistics (2026). Visitors, spending and trends. Last reviewed 2 November 2026. https://www.globaltourismstatistics.com/bahamas

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Notes & sources

Methodology & sources

This page compiles publicly available official statistics published by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (Research and Statistics Department) and the Central Bank of The Bahamas; the sources for every figure are listed below. Points to note:

  • The Ministry publishes two counts. Foreign arrivals by first port of entry are a manual count of immigration cards for all foreign visitors and transit arrivals, excluding ship crews, diplomats and returning residents; they are split into air, sea landed (mainly yachts and private boats) and cruise arrivals, and take no account of repeat entries by the same visitor at different ports. Stopover visitors are counted by island of stay and cover visitors who stay more than 24 hours, arriving by airline, private plane, boat or cruise ship (if they do not stay on the ship). In 2025 there were 1,688,794 air arrivals, 152,416 sea landed arrivals and 10,658,661 cruise arrivals, a total of 12,499,871, and 1,838,168 stopover visitors. This page uses stopovers as the headline and never adds cruise passengers to them.
  • All 2025 and 2026 figures are preliminary and subject to revision. The 2025 stopover total of 1,838,168 is the Ministry's latest; the Central Bank's June 2026 review and August 2026 digest reproduce earlier Ministry figures (1,826,103). The 2026 figures cover January–August for arrivals and stopovers. The 2026 cruise passenger change compares 8,176,998 with 7,013,838 in January–August 2025, taken from the Ministry's year-to-date summary tables.
  • Visitor spending is the travel credit in the balance of payments (sixth edition of the IMF manual), in current Bahamian dollars, from the Central Bank's August 2026 statistical digest. The Central Bank states that the Bahamian dollar is fixed at a 1:1 parity with the US dollar. The Ministry's own visitor expenditure estimate for 2024 was B$5,941.1 million, higher than the balance of payments figure of B$5,413.4 million; no Ministry estimate for 2025 had been published, so the balance of payments series is used throughout.
  • Occupancy and nightly room rates for 2025 and 2026 cover select large hotels in New Providence (Nassau and Paradise Island) only, as published by the Central Bank from Ministry of Tourism and Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association data. The room count is licensed properties from the Hotel Licensing Unit as at 29 February 2024.
  • No purpose-of-visit split, no 2025 tourism share of GDP or employment and no visitor counts for individual attractions were found, so these are not shown. The cruise port chart replaces an attractions ranking. Average length of stay is shown as published by the Ministry, without a stated unit.

Primary sources