Bahamas tourism holds firm

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism announced a record 12.5 million visitors for 2025 on January 28, 2026, with cruise arrivals making up 86.5% of the total and sea arrivals rising to about 10.6 million (a 14% year‑over‑year increase). (bahamas.com)) Foreign airlift remained a smaller but growing channel: nearly 1.7 million foreign air visitors were recorded in 2025, and roughly 30% of stopover visitors traveled to the Out Islands. (travelweek.ca)) Cruise-side capacity drove much of the demand surge—Nassau Cruise Port estimated about 6.1 million cruise passengers in 2025 across roughly 1,600 ship calls—while new private projects such as MSC Cruises’ announced $450 million Freeport complex and Carnival’s Celebration Key pier expansion are expanding berth and guest‑flow capacity. (cruisenews.io)) Government leaders and the tourism minister flagged energy‑price pressure tied to Middle East conflict, citing oil above $100 per barrel and warning of upward pressure on electricity, airfares and transport costs. (tribune242.com)) Carriage and bunker surcharges are already lifting landed costs for importers: Seaboard Marine published a U.S.–Caribbean general rate increase effective March 8, 2026, King Ocean filed a Bahamas‑specific GRI effective Jan 18, 2026 (listing $75 per 20' and $150 per 40' container uplifts), and Hapag‑Lloyd announced a ~$1,000 per‑container adjustment on Far East‑to‑Caribbean trades effective March 1, 2026. (seaboardmarine.com)) Market analysts warn 2026 freight volatility will persist even as some carriers resume Red Sea sailings, with Xeneta and S&P Global noting that route reinstatements, insurance and contract renegotiations will pressure 2026 contract rates and procurement certainty. (xeneta.com)) Port and terminal developments are increasing throughput but also operational exposure: Nassau’s multi‑berth port capacity and Grand Bahama projects raise inter‑island transfer volumes while port‑stay data show periodic congestion spikes that increase drayage and storage risk for multi‑property supply chains. (nassaucruiseport.com))