The Bahamas Is Bigger Than Ever With The Private Jet Set

Bahamas travelers of wealth and taste no longer need to choose between business and pleasure.

The Bahamas might be best known for its picture-perfect private islands and pristine white-sand beaches. But that’s only part of the attraction equation. The Caribbean commonwealth also boasts extremely low taxes, as well as one of the highest GNPs in the region; and it’s home to “over 270 licensed banks and trust companies, including seven of the world’s top eight private banks and 35 of the top 100 global banks” plus “in excess of 800 funds” according to International Investor.

Business or pleasure? If your destination is the Bahamas, there’s obviously no need to choose; and it’s no wonder that scores of yachts and private jets regularly set course for the Caribbean idyll.

“The Bahamas is an archipelago of 700 islands and cays ideal for yachting and private aviation tourism, and these travelers have long been drawn to our shores,” as the Hon. I Chester Cooper MP, The Bahamas’ Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investment & Aviation, tells Maxim. “We have seen increased numbers, year-after-year, with that number continuing to grow. With this growth, comes both marina and airport development and expansions.”

Cooper notes that, “We recently welcomed Hurricane Hole, a new state-of-the-art superyacht marina in Nassau that caters to large yachts. And we are upgrading several of our Out Island airports, as we continue to encourage visits to all 16 [major] islands.” The list of the latter includes North and South Andros, Abaco, Bimini, Eleuthera, Exuma and Grand Bahama, among others.

No surprise then, that, as Cooper says, “We are experiencing quite an investment boom in The Bahamas, as it continues to be the most sought-after Caribbean destination. In addition to Nassau and Paradise Island, which is home to private luxury resort communities such as Albany and Lyford Cay—not the mention the iconic Ocean Club—our Out Islands are witnessing exclusive new luxury investments.”

Cooper adds that, “Montage Cay in Abaco will be home to a private island luxury resort set to open in 2025, and Eleuthera broke ground on Jack’s Bay, a $20 million Jack Nicklaus Heritage [Golf] Course set to open starting in 2024 as well. Silent-Resorts is also set to break ground on the country’s first fully sustainable, zero-carbon residential and yacht resort community”—Ki’ama Bahamas—“in the Exumas,” bringing even more excitement to the region.

Top luxury-yacht company The Moorings recently resumed charter operations in The Abacos. And this past February, The Bahamas’ Eyewitness News reported that the first-ever Bahamas Charter Yacht Show (BCYS) attracted an impressive 42 vessels, outpacing both the Caribbean Charter Yacht Show and the Antigua Charter Yacht Show. As Peter Maury of the Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) told the the channel, “Yacht charter customers are among the wealthiest visitors to our country, and the industry knows that cruising the Bahamas is top of their bucket list.”

It is certainly at the top of ours….

This article originally appeared in the Nov/Dec 2023 issue of Maxim magazine.