Baha Mar President Graeme Davis said the resort is forecasting it will exceed its 2019 occupancy levels based on the high demand and bookings trends seen since June.
“Starting in June and for every month for the rest of 2021 we’ll be exceeding our 2019 occupancy and that’s without group business. Group business is really not returning until the fall, late Q3 into Q4 but we’re very, very optimistic and our staff are excited. Everyone is just working very hard to get the bookings, to get the promotions out there and making sure that we’re getting our key markets targeted to come to Baha Mar this summer,” he said following a tour of Baha Mar’s new $200 million Baha Bay waterpark.
He continued, “Certainly the Travel with Confidence program that we put in place earlier this year, our promotions that we’re doing and working with our brand teams, we’re very fortunate to see this pent up demand really flourishing. This July 4 weekend will be the busiest for all of 2021 and we’re expecting July to exceed our 2019 occupancies and for that month going forward as well.”
Davis said bookings so far have made the resort very optimistic about the rest of this year and already he can see that 2022 will be a record year for the company.
“We’re looking at that December festive period and we are already ahead of the pace compared to 2019 for that Christmas and festive season. So yes, we are looking at that. We are seeing our guests already booking in advanced to lock in their Christmas vacations and also into 2022,” he said.
“We’re already starting to see – now that the school calendar is coming out for next year – that the booking pace is up for 2022 as well. And particularly for our group business, that is also exceeding our expectations from prior years.”
Baha Mar reopened in December for the first time since the start of COVID-19 emergency order lockdown measures were implemented. At the time, the resort revealed its occupancy levels were in the teens. It has, however, continued to grow month over month, as travel restrictions loosened and more and more Americans – the resort’s source market – have gotten vaccinated.
As demand for travel to the country has picked up, hoteliers have in recent months lamented the limited and expensive airlift. Davis said airlift remains a challenge but he remains optimistic.
“We’re working very closely with the Ministry of Tourism as well as the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, and our fellow hoteliers to talk and coordinate with the airlines to ensure that they know our occupancies going forward, to talk through and ensure that we’re adding airlift in. Right now we’re still forecasted in July to be about 36 percent down over 2019 levels. That’s concerning for us, but we’re optimistic to see Frontier coming into the market, Southwest coming back in the fall, British Airways increasing their airlift,” he said.
“I do see that airlift pricing is rising based on that demand and we just want to keep encouraging our airline partners to keep adding those flights back in, because again we’re exceeding our 2019 occupancy levels and we do need that airlift to come back. Particularly with the home porting on Saturdays. We’re very thankful to the US government for adding additional customs officers for the departures out of The Bahamas and we’re certainly encouraged to see the ease and flow of travelers coming and going right now.”
The increased bookings coincides with the official opening of Baha Mar’s luxury waterpark Baha Bay.
The post Baha Mar occupancy forecast to exceed 2019 levels appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/baha-mar-occupancy-forecast-to-exceed-2019-levels/
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