Bahamas cruise tax hike delayed until January 2024
The Bahamas is delaying the recently announced cruise tax hike.
An increase in the cruise head tax was set to take effect next month.
It is now postponed to January 2024 Tourism Minister Chester Cooper says.
It follows discussions with cruise lines and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association.
“Nobody wants their taxes to increase. They’ve made certain representations. We’ve taken those into consideration,: Cooper said.
The current $18 head tax will increase to $23 for each cruise guest departing Nassau and Freeport.
The cruise tax is $25 for those on ships that only visit a private island in the Bahamas.
The government is also imposing additional cruise taxes which take effect next year.
These are a $5 tourism environmental levy and a new $2 per person tourism enhancement levy.
It would take the total payable to $30, or $32 from a private island.
The cruise tax hikes come just after the completion of major upgrade work at Nassau Cruise Port which cost about $300 million.
It can now handle up to six ships a day.
“There’s a lot of development in the Bahamas, we’re working to see if, at least, it can get pushed out,” said Carnival Cruise Line President, Christine Duffy.
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