Average cruise visitor spending in the Bahamas has slumped by an alarming 23 per cent over the past three years, a report for the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) has revealed, even though this nation leads the Caribbean through an annual $394 million economic impact from the industry.
The FCCA’s Economic Impact of Cruise Tourism, released this week, indicates that while per passenger spending yields have dropped between 2009 and 2012, falling from $83.93 to $64.81, this has been more than offset by an increase in visitor numbers (volumes).
The 22.8 per cent decline in per capita cruise passenger spending in the Bahamas is the largest in the Caribbean region over the past three years, bar the US Virgin Islands. Other nations have seen double digit increases in the yields, including a 60 per cent increase in the Dominican Republic.
The FCCA data also contradicts recent statements by Carla Stuart, the Ministry of Tourism’s director of cruise development, who said last month that per capita cruise passenger spending had increased from $73 in 2010 to $111 in 2011.
