Cruising to the Bahamas? You may be paying more taxes under proposed legislation
Cruise passengers onboard to the Bahamas may soon face increased taxes as the island nation proposes legislation to triple cruise industry revenue.
Under the Passenger Tax Amendment Bill 2023, the head tax for cruisers leaving the Bahamas from Nassau or Freeport would be $23 – a $5 hike from the current $18 tax – and $25 if departing from a private island without going to another port in the Bahamas.
Additional taxes would be introduced as well, including a $5 tourism environmental levy and $2 tourism enhancement levy for arriving or departing passengers.
In total, cruisers would be paying a total of $30 instead of $18, or $32 if visiting a private island.
Cruise lines have not issued official statements on the possible tax hike. The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association did not immediately respond to Paste BN’s request for comment.
More: Happiest place in the Caribbean? Disney Cruise Line to open Lighthouse Point island destination
If the legislation goes through, the tax hikes will go into effect on July 1, except for the tourism enhancement levy, which will start on Jan. 1.
Revenue from the tourism enhancement levy will reportedly go into the Tourism Development Fund, which will be established as part of The Bahamas Act 2023.
The introduced tax hikes and levies would also nearly triple the cruise industry revenue for the Bahamas from $50 million to $145 million.
Currently, the Bahamas is seeing big cruise expansion as cruise lines invest in the Caribbean country. Disney Cruise Line is slated to open a private island called Lighthouse Point next summer. Royal Caribbean is working on a 17-acre-large beach club in Nassau, set to open in 2025. Royal Caribbean did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
The Nassau Cruise Port reopened last month after a $300 million four-year redevelopment project that increased daily cruiser capacity from 20,000 to 30,000, plus new restaurants and attractions.
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for Paste BN based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com