by editorial office, mas

After favorable visitor figures for the previous year, the holiday destination of the Bahamas again reports enormous growth rates from the German-speaking market for 2008. A total of 10,526 vacationers from Germany visited the popular archipelago in the last year, resulting in a plus of more than a 45 percent. With 1,657 guests, visitor figures from Austria showed an increase of roughly 41 percent in 2008, while the number of visitors to the Bahamas from Switzerland rose by 4,169, or 16 percent.

The combined volume of overnight stays from all three German-speaking markets in 2008 amounted to 156,756 nights, a 22 percent increase on the previous year. Of these, 103,234 stays were generated by German visitors, while Swiss visitors accounted for 37,840 and Austrian visitors for 15,682 nights. The average length of stay for all three countries combined was close to ten days. A change could be observed in regards to the average age of the vacationers: Most of the German-speaking visitors to the islands in 2008 were age 25 to 34, closely followed by those in the age range of 35 to 44 years. This marked a reversal on the previous year. The main destinations on the Bahamas for guests from Germany, Austria and Switzerland were New Providence and its capital of Nassau, Grand Bahama and Abaco.