Tourism officials and some local hoteliers are bracing for what they believe will be the strongest seasonal performance in September and October in recent memory.
Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe said this week that soaring room sales this season prove that the status quo for the industry could change.
“We have traditionally in The Bahamas accepted our slow months to be September and October, but we have not accepted that that does not have to be so,” Minister Wilchcombe said.
“Last year, the hurricanes certainly caused us some delays and cancellations and set us back in certain areas, but at the same time we were still able to record a very strong 2005. This year if we are blessedﾅand hurricanes do not enter our area we are certainly looking for a better September than we have [ever] had.”
Benjamin Davis, general manager of the Radisson Cable Beach & Golf Resort, said the Cable Beach Resorts, which include the Wyndham Nassau Resort and the Nassau Beach Hotel, are operating with occupancy levels in the mid 90ﾴs.
“Bookings have been consistent since the end of May and we hope to see further growth in September and October over the previous year,” Mr. Davis said.
“For the month of August we are showing significant growth year on year in excess of 14 percent increase and this has been an exceptional summer for the Radisson and it has been probably one of the busiest summers that we have had for a number of years.”
Mr. Davis explained that the resorts, now under the ownership of the Baha Mar Development Company, are involved in increased marketing.
Meanwhile, Steve Kappeler, regional manager of the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort on Paradise Island and the Nassau Palm Resort in New Providence, said he is expecting room sales to continue to soar into next month.
“We are at a favorable pace well ahead of last year by about 300 to 500 rooms per property for this time period,” Mr. Kappeler said.
He reported that reservations for September are at 40 percent at the Sunspree resort on Paradise Island.
“As we move forward we expect that number to pick up,” he said. “The occupancy level for the month of September at Nassau Palms is estimated to be about 35 percent, well ahead of the booking pace for last year and well above the year 2003.”
Mr. Kappeler attributed last yearﾴs downward slide in occupancy to the closure of scores of rooms at the Sunspree property on Paradise Island.
“We had a few bookings ﾅlast year, but of course lost them because we had to close the properties. Room sales were well under 40 percent because last year our P.I hotel closed for two weeks, and we had almost 150 rooms off market, not available for sale.”
Michael Hooper, general manager of The British Colonial Hilton Hotel, said that the number of bookings for this September is significantly higher than it was during the same time last year.
“We are still very strong and still we are not experiencing people reluctant to book in September,” Mr. Hooper said.
He said only the threat of a hurricane could possibly slow down bookings at this time.
“We think The Bahamas has done a pretty good job and all the hotels are marketing themselves well also and there is still that demand for travel and particularly in the market where we are getting a lot of business from Canada and Europe and so it is all going well.” But while other resort managers are projecting an increase in occupancy levels, General Manager of the Comfort Suites on Paradise Island Jeremy McVean explained that while June and July were strong months for his property, bookings are beginning to slow down.
“Now as schools are going back the trend is slowing down and the last 10 days of August will be a lot slower than the previous three weeks,” he said.
Mr. McVean, who is also the former president of the Bahamas Hotel Association, said that rooms are normally reserved on a whim during the first two months of fall.
“The month of September looks typically quiet as people in September and October tend to book on much shorter notice,” he said. ” If the weather stays good and we donﾴt have hurricanes, hopefully weﾴll get some bookings.”
Royanne Forbes, The Bahama Journal
