The tourism sector in The Bahamas is currently experiencing a slowdown, attributed to a recent travel advisory issued by the United States.
On January 24, the U.S. Embassy in Nassau, Bahamas, issued a travel alert that warned U.S. citizens to be aware that 18 people had been murdered in Nassau since the start of the year. “Murders have occurred at all hours including in broad daylight on the streets. Retaliatory gang violence has been the primary motive in 2024 murders,” it read.
The overall travel advisory for The Bahamas remains unchanged at Level 2, which advises U.S. citizens to exercise increased caution in The Bahamas due to crime.
Prime Minister Philip Davis acknowledged the impact of the travel advisory on the country’s tourism sector, noting concerns about a decline in visitor numbers.
“You see the advisory that went out the other day, how that has taken legs? We are now hearing some concerns about the falloff in tourism,” Davis said on Monday as he discussed his administration’s plans to deal with the crime situation.
“Right now, the hotels are seeing some fall off, but more importantly, those who are in the hotels today, they’re not coming out into the community. They’re not going to the restaurants, for example. They’re not going sightseeing as they used to,” he said.
“Of course, the hotel owners don’t mind because as long as they are staying in the hotels … they’re spending it all there. So here again, we are shooting ourselves in our foot by allowing this to get out of hand,” he said.
Decline in Airbnb rentals
Outside of hotels, there was also a slowdown in short-term rental bookings last month.
In January, short-term rental bookings in The Bahamas fell 7.3% compared to the same month in 2023 after seeing months of growth, according to AirDNA. Reservations per property and occupancy at short-term rentals were down 10%, according to Key Data.
The Bahamas has recorded 25 murders so far this year with police saying many of the homicides are gang related.
Davis urged the press to understand their role in maintaining the country’s reputation, saying that other countries give less prominence to certain crimes than the local media does.
Similarly, Jamaica’s tourism sector has also been negatively impacted by the United States’ Level 3 travel advisory, which urged citizens to reconsider travel to the island due to crime and lack of proper medical services.
