Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Well-Being Travel
  • Training & Events
  • Who We Are
    • Anne Marie Moebes
    • Brian Israel
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Kelly Fontenelle
Sponsored By ALG
Sponsored By ALG
"

What Travel Advisors Should Know About Nassau Paradise Island

by Daniel McCarthy / March 28, 2022
What Travel Advisors Should Know About Nassau Paradise Island

Photo: Nassau Paradise Island


Nassau Paradise Island is just under 200 miles off the coast of Miami. A destination that has long been one of the staples for Americans, Canadians, cruise passengers, and more, the island has suffered just like so many other international destinations because of the pandemic.

However, a relaxation of COVID-19 era rules, and a drop in warning from the CDC, is bringing renewed interest to the island from both consumers and from suppliers anxious to continue to develop properties on the island.  

Nassau Paradise Island Promotions Board CEO Fred Lounsberry spoke to TMR this week about the change in level and his expectations for 2022, a year he expects to be strong and the beginning of a “boom phase” for the destination and for The Bahamas in general. 

Current Protocols & CDC Ranking
After requiring tests for about two years, there is still a testing requirement to get on the island, but a guest will not be tested while they're there—once you arrive, the only thing travelers will have to worry about is the restrictions on their return trip home.

According to Lounsberry, other pandemic restrictions on the island are also winding down as the case numbers continue to decrease.

“We’re pretty optimistic for the rest of the year,” he told TMR. “The next step is waiting on the U.S. fto take the return test off.”

That optimism is also helped by the recent news from the CDC, which officially dropped the warning level for travel to the Bahamas to Level 2: Moderate. The drop comes just two weeks after the CDC lowered the rating from Level 4: Do Not Travel to Level 3: Very High on March 10.

What Is the Bahamas Health Visa?
Even with the current protocols winding down and returning to normal, one thing that is still in place is the Bahamas Health Visa, which has been an entry requirement for a lot of Caribbean destinations.

The visa costs $40 per person, but there’s a misconception about that cost, Lounsberry said. What that $40 gets you is essentially COVID health insurance should you test positive prior to your return home.

“It’s not a $40 fee,” he said. “What you’re really buying is travel insurance at a pretty reasonable rate.”

Who Is the Ideal Client?
“We are so diverse,” Lounsberry said, adding that there is not necessarily an ideal guest for the destination, though families, couples, and groups tend to fill up the island’s resorts and cruise passengers continue to flock through Nassau’s port. It is much better to match a client with a property on the island (more on that below) rather than the island itself.

U.S. travelers have long been the destination’s biggest market, followed by Canada and then the U.K. More air service makes the U.S. an easier feeder market, but additions from other countries including Canada and the U.K. could see those markets take off this year and next, Lounsberry added.

In terms of when consumers typically like to go to the island, Lounsberry said the pattern is similar to Orlando with high seasons happening when school is out and tourism starting to taper off when schools reopen each fall. There are shoulder seasons when groups tend to come more often than families, but in general, the typical North American vacation patterns apply.

What Is New?
Travelers who have not been to the island since COVID-19 started are going to be greeted by a number of new properties, including some from hospitality’s most iconic names.

One is the new Margaritaville Beach Resort Nassau, which is now open in downtown Nassau, within walking distance to the city’s cruise ship terminals. That resort, which offers itself as a laid-back beach oasis, offers two separate towers totaling 300 rooms, including 68 suites with direct views of the beach.

Another is Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort, which just reopened at the beginning of 2022 after being completely reimagined. The resort now includes over 200 fully renovated rooms and suites and a new Island Village, the pastel-colored village, inspired by the Bahamas.

Melia Nassau Beach is currently closed, undergoing its own $100 million renovation. The plan is for the resort to reopen in spring 2023 following an extensive refurbishment in all areas of the property.

Baha Mar just recently opened a $200 million luxury beachfront water park last summer that includes more than 30 different water attractions along with luxury cabanas, retail venues, and a casino.

There’s more to come, too, including a new resort from Grammy winner Pharrell Williams called Somewhere Else. That resort is still a couple of years away from opening (the debut is slated for 2024 right now), but it’s already highly anticipated because of its affiliation with Williams along with Shawn Sullivan of the Rockwell Group, who is going to lead the redesign.

Outside of properties, Nassau Cruise Port is in the middle of a $250 million port redevelopment project that is ongoing and will finish sometime this year. The renovation will allow for another berth for a large cruise ship, giving it six total berths for mega-ships like Oasis of the Seas.

There is also the addition of known traveler programs. Travelers registered with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck program will now be able to use it at the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau. The new location is the first TSA international location in the Caribbean and one of 16 locations outside of the U.S.

  39
  1
Related Articles
TSA PreCheck Hits Membership Milestone
Sandals Adds New Suites, Villas to Beaches Negril and Halcyon Beach
TSA Hits Post-Pandemic Milestone with 2.56 Million Passengers Screened
Margaritaville at Sea Drops Pre-Cruise COVID-19 Testing Requirement for Vaccinated Guests
The New Jamaica Sandals Is Now Open for Booking
Sandals Executive Chairman Adam Stewart Lays Out Bold Expansion for Future
What to Know About the New Dutch Caribbean All-Inclusive Resort Sandals Royal Curaçao
Two More Airlines Join TSA PreCheck
The TSA Hits Its Highest Checkpoint Volume Since February 2020
Bahamas Eliminates Travel Health Visa, But COVID Test Requirement Remains

MOST VIEWED

  1. Why Travel Advisors Need to Learn to Say No to New Business
  2. U.S. Passport Renewal Processing Time Now 8 to 11 Weeks
  3. Government of Canada Updates Its Mexico Travel Advisory
  4. U.S. Passport Renewal Waiting Time Could Soon Get Even Worse
  5. European Union Delays Launch of ETIAS Until At Least 2024
  6. Here’s What the U.S. and Canada Are Saying About Travel and Crime in Mexico

MOST EMAILED

  1. U.S. Passport Renewal Processing Time Now 8 to 11 Weeks
  2. U.S. Passport Renewal Waiting Time Could Soon Get Even Worse
  3. Why Travel Advisors Need to Learn to Say No to New Business
  4. European Union Delays Launch of ETIAS Until At Least 2024
  5. What Travel Advisors Need to Know about the Florida Seller of Travel License
  6. 9 Travel-Advisor Friendly Paris Boutique Hotels to Know About
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
The Newest Margaritaville Resort Is Now Open
The Newest Margaritaville Resort Is Now Open

Margaritaville Beach Resort Ambergris Caye, Belize, welcomed its first guests this week. 

Read...
New Opening: St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya
New Opening: St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya

The hotel is now open, and part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. 

Read...
Yotel is Bringing its Long-Stay Brand YotelPad to London
Yotel is Bringing its Long-Stay Brand YotelPad to London

It will be the first YotelPad property outside of the U.S. 

Read...
Makeready Hospitality Launches GDS Code Unifying Hotel Portfolio
Makeready Hospitality Launches GDS Code Unifying Hotel Portfolio

The new code can be used to book five U.S. hotels in South Carolina, Colorado, Ohio and Tennessee. 

Read...
New Opening: Moxy Williamsburg, the Brooklyn Debut of the Marriott Brand
New Opening: Moxy Williamsburg, the Brooklyn Debut of the Marriott Brand

The hotel adds 216 rooms to the North Brooklyn neighborhood. 

Read...
Marriott Is Bringing the Ritz-Carlton to Lake Como
Marriott Is Bringing the Ritz-Carlton to Lake Como

The new hotel will be the first Ritz-Carlton hotel in all of Italy.

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
river cruise 2022
group outlook 2022
lux cruise outlook
CP White Paper
Multi-Gen Outlook
River Cruise Outlook 2019
View All
Advertiser's Voice
https://img.youtube.com/vi/BDz_-mzUmZA/0.jpg
Meet South Africa with Your Local Guides
About Travel Market Report Mission Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News |Tours & Packages |Cruise |Hotels & Resorts |Destinations |Retail Strategies |Niche & Luxury |Well-Being Travel |Training & Events |Who We Are
© 2005 - 2023 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy