Stunning beaches, diverse marine life, and a laidback Caribbean environment. No wonder the Bahamas is having a moment!
The destination has just revealed that in 2024, it broke its all-time tourism record, welcoming an impressive 11.22 million international visitors. That's 16.2% higher than in 2023.
To give this figure some context, the population of the Bahamas is only just over 400,000.
And it’s easy to see why the Bahamas are so popular. Not only are the islands easy to get to, but they’re also packed full of incredible things to see and do.
Why Visit The Bahamas
One of the biggest attractions of the Bahamas is the beautiful beaches. The best beaches in the Bahamas include Cable Beach, which has a vast expanse of white sand and excellent watersports.
And Pink Sand Beach, which is on Harbor Island and is famous for its soft pink sand.
And if regular beaches aren’t exciting enough, the item on my Bahamas bucket list is the chance to swim with pigs. This truly unique experience allows you to swim with the famous Exuma pigs on Big Major Cay in the Abaco islands.
This beach is only accessible by boat. But the good news is you can easily take a day trip from both Nassau or The Exumas to see the swimming pigs and even swim alongside them.
Island Routes offers a highly regarded powerboat adventure to see the swimming pigs, which is priced at $409 per person.
Movie buffs and thrill seekers alike will love the opportunity to go snorkeling in the James Bond Thunderball grotto. This is the stunning grotto made famous in the Thunderball film and is a visually beautiful spot packed full of exotic sea life.
And if you’ve always wanted to go snorkeling with sharks, then this is another attraction that the Bahamas is famous for. Compass Cay is a unique spot where you can swim alongside a whole school of nurse sharks.
Because these sharks live close to the marina and are fed by the local fishermen, they are incredibly friendly and used to be around humans. You can either book a tour or visit the marina independently. If you choose to do this, the cost to swim with the sharks is $10 per person.
Events In The Bahamas
If you want to experience authentic Bahaman culture, as well as the thrill and excitement of a party on the island, then you should combine your trip with one of the many festivals in the Bahamas.
In the first week of June, you can enjoy the Eleuthera Pineapple Festival. This takes place in Gregory Town on the island of Eleuthera. More than 5,000 people attend this festival every year.
The biggest festival in the Bahamas is Junkanoo. Events take place across the islands, but the largest takes place in Nassau in July. The focal point is a street parade where local music, dancing, and arts and crafts are showcased.
And foodies will love the Andros Crab Festival, which takes place in Fresh Creek, Andros.
This takes place over three days at the beginning of June and is a celebration of the delicious local crab. You can enjoy a crab cultural show and culinary displays and learn the 101 ways to cook crab.
Easy To Access From 16 U.S. Cities
One of the main reasons why the Bahamas is so popular with American travelers is because the two destinations are so well connected.
This means that it’s easy and affordable to take a trip to the Bahamas, making it appealing to budget travelers and luxury travelers alike.
You can currently fly nonstop to Nassau in the Bahamas from 16 U.S. cities. These are:
- Orlando, Florida
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Miami, Florida
- Tampa, Florida
- New York
- Boston
- Washington D.C
- Seattle
- Los Angeles
- Atlanta
- Chicago
- Houston
- Charlotte
- Denver
- Detroit
- Philadelphia
Not surprisingly, the cheapest place to fly to the Bahamas from are the four airports in Florida.
This is because the Bahamas are located very close to Florida, with the closest point being just over 50 miles away from Miami. This also means that the flight time between the two destinations is just 45 minutes.
To fly from Orlando to Nassau for a week from March 6 to March 13 would cost just $255 for a return nonstop economy class trip.
This is based on flights with JetBlue, and this flight has an outbound flight time of 1 hour 28 minutes and an inbound flight time of 1 hour 38 minutes.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.