The report said air visitors, which accounted for 31.4 percent of the total, rose by 1.7 percent, while sea arrivals fell by 5.1 percent.
It added that New Providence experienced overall growth of 1.2 percent, with an 11.8 percent improvement in the higher value-added air visitor component, and a decline in sea visitors of 4.2 percent.
Weakness in the Grand Bahama market persisted, with overall arrivals receding by 19.6 percent, the report said, adding that Family Island arrivals declined by 2.4 percent as the 3.1 percent fall in sea arrivals offset the 0.8 percent increase in the air segment.
But there was some positive news.
Available data for the hotel industry revealed continued firming in hotel occupancy rates and room revenues over the January to October period.
Total room revenues improved by 9 percent, as both room sales and average daily room rates expanded by 2.8 percent and 6.1 percent respectively, the report said.
It also said that this revenue increase occurred in all three major ports, with Nassau up by 9.2 percent, Grand Bahama by 6.3 percent and the Family Islands by 14.3 percent.
In a recent interview with the Bahama Journal regarding weak tourism performance in Grand Bahama, Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe said that while officials were disappointed by lower tourist arrivals in Grand Bahama last year, they were pleased that room rates and sales remained strong.
But he spoke of the need to immediately increase the number of available rooms on the island.
“Grand Bahama has total amount 4,000 hotel rooms and [it’s] the second most populated island of The Bahamas,” Minister Wilchcombe said. “That’s nonsense. Grand Bahama needs no [fewer] than 10,000 hotel rooms if it’s going to be a viable tourism operation in this country and if it’s going to have a sustainable industry.”
But the government has entered 2006 facing serious challenges on that northern island. It has still been unable to get the Royal Oasis Resort reopened.
That resort was closed in September 2004 after it was badly damaged by Hurricane Frances.
Both Prime Minister Perry Christie and Minister Wilchcombe reported last month that significant progress was being made to bring resolution to that situation.
“I have indicated a sense of optimism to the people who lost their jobs,” Prime Minister Christie said.
Minister Wilchcombe, meanwhile, indicated that he too was optimistic about the outlook for Grand Bahama tourism in 2006 and recognized that a good plan had not been in place to prevent much of the fallout that came with the closure of the Royal Oasis Resort.
Source: The Bahama Journal
