Nassau Port, Bahamas set an all-time record for the number of passengers handled on the cruise port, just 20 months after it opened a new cruise terminal so it could benefit from an increase in the short-duration cruise market.
The Port of Nassau dates back to the historic days and the beginning of the modern cruise era in the 1960s. Since then, it has become quite popular as massive ships are being sent on the short cruise market from Florida.
In 2024, it received 1445 cruise ships, more than 5.6 million cruise ship passengers and additional crew members from each of the vessels. Port Miami handled 8.2 million cruise passengers and Port Canaveral saw 7.6 million visitors in 2024.
Nassau Port has witnessed a rise in passenger arrivals since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It had set a record of around 3.86 million passengers in 2019 and 3.22 million in 2022. In 2023 it surpassed 3.9 million passengers by November end with a target of 4.2 million before the end of the year.
The new Nassau Cruise Port developed in partnership with Global Port Holdings, has 6 berths to accommodate the biggest cruise ships in the world, including both the Icon of the Seas and Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class ships.
The new cruise terminal has helped the port to achieve this new record. It opened in May 2023 and has enough space to accommodate 70 vendors, including tour operators, food and local crafts.
References: TravelandTourWorld