Franz Taylor: The Bahamas to expand its presence at FITUR 2026 with experiential activities
The Bahamas will be expanding its presence at FITUR 2026 with experiential activities that will bring it closer to the Spanish public, according to Franz Taylor, Sales and Marketing Manager at the Bahamas Tourist Office for the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal and the country's fishing sector. In addition, "a series of initiatives will be presented to show that The Bahamas is much more than sun and sand, such as incentives for Spanish travel agents through MyBooking Rewards (with double rewards during the FITUR period); promotional activities with tour operators such as CATAI and Viajes El Corte Inglés, which will include raffles, prizes and Bahamian rum tasting sessions; and an immersive 360° virtual reality experience to explore diving with sharks around our islands".
What figures can you give us for tourism in The Bahamas in 2024 and 2025?
In 2024 The Bahamas reached an all-time high of over 9.6 million visitors, representing a growth of more than 15% over 2023. This significant increase is largely due to increased cruise capacity and stay-over tourism, with travellers seeking more authentic and longer-lasting experiences.
In addition to idyllic settings, what other proposals do you plan to develop to further boost tourism?
While our beaches remain the main attraction, we are diversifying our tourism proposition through initiatives such as cultural tourism, highlighting the African and Caribbean heritage of The Bahamas; sustainable tourism, with marine conservation programmes, visits and eco-tours, and environmentally responsible accommodation; and sports and adventure tourism, including sailing events, diving, fishing and hiking on less explored islands.
Which countries do tourists mainly come from to visit The Bahamas?
Most visitors come from the United States and Canada. This is followed by the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Spain.
What tourism trade flows exist between The Bahamas and Spain?
Spain is a strategic growth market. In 2024, around 4,000 Spaniards visited The Bahamas, an increase of 23% compared to the previous year. This growth reflects the interest of Spaniards in scuba diving and honeymooning, as well as the success of our campaigns in collaboration with Spanish tour operators.
We are working to strengthen these partnerships and foster cooperation with our tourism sectors. We will also be launching training programmes and workshops aimed at Spanish travel agencies to increase awareness and visibility of the destination in the market.
How will your presence at FITUR help to boost tourism in The Bahamas?
FITUR is a key platform for our promotional strategy in the Ibero-American market. In 2025 our participation was very positive, with joint promotion agreements with Spanish tour operators including advertising campaigns, digital microsites and editorial content. By 2026 we want to expand our presence with experiential activities that bring The Bahamas even closer to the Spanish public.
What proposals and innovations will the country be presenting at FITUR 2026?
At FITUR 2026 we will be presenting a series of initiatives to show that The Bahamas is much more than sun and sand, such as incentives for Spanish travel agents through MyBooking Rewards (with double rewards during the FITUR period); promotional activities with tour operators such as CATAI and Viajes El Corte Inglés, which will include raffles, prizes and Bahamian rum tasting sessions; and an immersive 360° virtual reality experience to explore diving with sharks around our islands.
Are there any other points you would like to highlight?
The Bahamas is deeply committed to sustainable tourism development. As an archipelago of more than 700 islands and cays, we aim to preserve the natural environment without compromising the quality of the visitor experience.
We are investing in the digitalisation of the industry and in strengthening our tourism product to foster local entrepreneurship and increase customer service quality.
I invite the Spanish traveller to discover our Junkanoo festival, rake 'n scrape music, our historic attractions, the Bahamian cuisine, and our warm hospitality through our ‘People-to-People’ programme.