Baha Mar is having its best year ever for groups, with the bookings for that segment up 30 percent over last year, the resort’s President Graeme Davis said yesterday.
According to Davis, the booking pace for groups into 2024 is the strongest it has been in the resort’s history.
“It’s going extremely well. The group demand is extremely strong,” said Davis.
“Our group pace over the last five years has never been stronger. We’re having our best group year ever.
“The booking pace for 2024, when I look at a year out from prior years, this will be the strongest we’ve been for one year out when looking at future bookings.”
Davis said with transient room bookings up six percent year on year, the 30 percent increase for groups is significant. He explained that businesses are offering incentive trips to their staff and partners, and many are choosing Baha Mar to reward those groups.
Davis said The Bahamas seems an easy choice for businesses to bring groups because of hassle-free entry into and exit from the country, and its proximity to the US.
“With the ease of access to The Bahamas, the easy clearance back into the US from The Bahamas, Nassau is quite easy and it’s a safe destination,” he said.
“It makes it a very viable and popular destination for people to come here.
“People are earning their trips. Their businesses are doing quite well, and so they are rewarding their employees and store owners.”
Davis added that there has been strong demand for Baha Mar’s convention center from the public and private sectors.
The COVID-19 pandemic hurt the meetings, incentives, conference and exhibitions (MICE) travel segment, as well as the market for local groups that used convention center space for meetings and conferences. Business is back in a strong way, Davis explained.
“I would say from a business and government perspective, from both sectors our convention center has been quite busy, with local corporate meetings as well as government meetings.”
