The Bahamas will impose higher cruise passenger taxes starting in 2024
According to government officials in The Bahamas, implementing a new tax on cruise ship passengers has been postponed until 2024.
A meeting between Bahamian Tourism Minister Chester Cooper and representatives from the major cruise lines serving the island nation was reported by The Tribune to have taken place last week, with the cruise lines lobbying Cooper to delay the enactment of the cruise passenger tax increases.
According to TravePulse, the government of The Bahamas was planning to raise the per-passenger fee it collects from $18 to $30. Under the proposed law, departure taxes for visitors leaving through Nassau or Freeport would increase from $18 to $23, and a new “tourism environmental levy” of $5 per person would be implemented.
Cruise ship passengers entering or leaving The Bahamas would be required to pay a $2 “tourism enhancement levy” under the terms of the legislation. It was originally reported that the other taxes would begin on July 1, 2024, but the tourism enhancement fee wouldn’t be implemented until January 1.
According to The Tribune, Cooper stated that “they’ve made certain representations.”
“We’ve taken those into consideration. The prime minister and I have spoken, he added. “We will speak at our cabinet level. One of the issues were that they wanted to be able to recapture all of the taxes from their customers, etc.”
Cooper also pointed out that “despite what was in the bill tabled in the House of Assembly,” the government always intended to implement all phases of the new taxes in January 2024, according to The Tribune.
“The intended date of the tax is and always was January 1, 2024,” Cooper added. “It’s always been that. That’s factored into the revenues, and as it stands, that’s the date for implementation.”
On board Carnival Venezia’s inaugural voyage out of New York earlier this month, president of Carnival Cruise Line Christine Duffy spoke to Travel Weekly about her desire to see the tax delayed.
With an estimated $145 million in forecasted revenue, up from the $50 million budgeted for the current fiscal year, Cooper noted the Bahamian government is looking to “nearly triple” the money it receives from cruise line passengers.
Evie Blanco is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Queens, New York. She is extremely well-versed in hip-hop music and culture and is always aware of its developments. Whether it’s the latest in pop culture, a fascinating foreign destination, a truly amazing new restaurant, or breaking news, she loves to write about it all. Evie can be reached at evieblanco@detourxp.com.