The Bahamas Will Begin Charging Cruise Passengers A Higher Fee

A new tax on cruise ship passengers has been announced by the government of The Bahamas, but it will not be implemented until 2024, authorities said.

 

The Bahamian Tourism Minister Chester Cooper met with executives from the main cruise lines servicing the island country, which lobbied the authorities on the island to postpone the planned rise in cruise tourist taxes, as officials are considering raising the per-passenger taxes they collect from $18 to $30. As a result of this change, all passengers leaving from Nassau or Freeport would be subject to a $23 departure tax, an increase from the current $18 price, plus a $5 "tourist environmental charge" per passenger.

The legislation also includes a "tourist enhancement cost" of $2 per person for any cruise ship visitors entering or departing The Bahamas. Despite earlier reports indicating that all other taxes will begin on July 1, 2024, the tourist improvement charge was pushed back to January 1.

Cooper commented:

“The prime minister and I have spoken. […] One of the issues were that they wanted to be able to recapture all of the taxes from their customers. […] we’ve already given a seven-month delay in the implementation of the tax.”

Moreover, the Minister added that the administration always intended to enact all stages of the additional fees in January 2024. The Bahamian officials are anticipating a $145 million in income from cruise ship passengers, almost double when compared to the $50 million allocated for this year.

 

Source: travelpulse.com