With cruise passengers traffic jumping 16% in 2025, the Bahamas look for a new cruise port
Cruise arrivals to the Bahamas continue to enjoy momentum in 2025 with the total number of passengers reaching for all the ports of entry 14.76 million during the first 11 months of 2025. This represents a growth of 15.6%, equivalent to just 2 million more cruise passengers compared to the same period of 2024. Cruises remain the main mean of entry into the Bahamas. From January to November 2025, total air arrivals reached only 1.52 million, down -1.9%.
As the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) expects some 37.7 million cruise passengers globally in 2025, the Islands of the Bahamas alone attract 40% of the total output!
Four ports receive the majority of cruise passengers in the country with ports in the Out Islands welcoming over 8 million passengers during the first 11 months of 2025 followed by Nassau/Paradise Island with 5.42 million guests.
New cruise port part of Mayaguana future port facilities
The Bahamas has now revealed a new cruise port development is planned for the island of Mayaguana. A deal has been inked with private developers for cruise ship and cargo port facilities.
The island of Mayaguana is more than 300 miles south of Nassau. However, it is one of the Bahamas’ lesser visited and underdeveloped islands, according to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.
The development will comprise three phases with a cruise ship terminal planned for the second phase. The vision is to turn Mayaguana into a full-fledged maritime and logistics center that includes port and landside works, a transshipment and storage port for containers and bulk cargo as well as the cruise terminal.
The public private ownership structure will be shared by the government, Mayaguana Island Development Fund and Global Lead Consultant Group Ltd. Over the coming months, work will move into detailed planning, including economic and environmental assessments, stakeholder engagement, regulatory approvals, and detailed designs.
The project team’s preliminary estimate anticipates approximately 2,000 full time jobs over the life of the project. Officials haven’t so far given a timeline for when the cruise port will be operational.
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