DID YOU REALLY THINK THE BAHAMAS WAS A CLICHÉD DESTINATION?
“When you talk about original, everything is original in the Bahamas”. This small country continues to prove its originality by offering a vast array of unique experiences. |
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DID YOU REALLY THINK THE BAHAMAS WAS A CLICHÉD DESTINATION?
“When you talk about original, everything is original in the Bahamas”. This small country continues to prove its originality by offering a vast array of unique experiences. |
Category: North America & West Indies / Carribean islands - Bahamas - Industry economy
- Tourism
Article written by Asia Abadie on 2025-01-07
 Bahamas Tourist Office swimming with pigs experience
Photo credit © Photo courtesy of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation Unique experiences
We met with officials at the Bahamas Tourist Office to learn about The Exumas’ unique experiences for visitors. Among the most iconic is swimming with the pigs at Big Major’s Cay, which is the original experience. If you’ve done it elsewhere, you haven’t experienced the true version. No one knows for certain how the pigs arrived, but locals discovered they could swim and began feeding them from their boats Now, the pigs eagerly swim out to greet docked boats. Visitors now pay for this once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
Beyond swimming with pigs, The Exumas offer other distinctive activities, such as swimming with gentle nurse sharks and feeding small iguanas. One of the most visually stunning experiences is exploring Thunderball Grotto, a rock formation above water, near Staniel Cay. At low tide, visitors can swim through its hidden underwater entrance and discover a dazzling underwater world, teeming with tropical fish and coral. James Bond fans will recognise it from the movies Thunderball and Never Say Never Again.
A country to preserve
The Exumas’ breathtaking natural beauty is legendary—even from space., Astronaut Scott Kelly while on a spacewalk captured a snapshot of the sapphire-blue waters of The Exumas to send to his daughter, calling the view “the most beautiful place from space”. When he returned to earth, he was invited to visit The Exumas, where he remarked that the islands were even more stunning in person. Another astronaut echoed this sentiment, saying, “Now I see why Scott didn’t want to leave.”
The Bahamas isn't just a paradise for tourists—it is a country deeply invested in sustainability, with several sustainable projects in place to protect its environment. Among them is the award-winning Coral Vita programme on Grand Bahama Island, which uses cutting-edge technology to regrow coral at a rate 50 times faster than normal. Visitors are encouraged to take part in these regenerative efforts, either individually or through group activities. Many hotels also offer long-term programmes with schools, reserves, and environmental groups to support these initiatives.
Getting there
In terms of accessibility, The Bahamas welcomes millions of visitors annually. Last year they recorded approximately 9.7 million, with approximatively two million stopover visitors and seven million cruise passengers. While the United States remains the primary market, Europe and Canada are a close second. British Airways offers daily non-stop flights from London to Nassau, while Virgin Atlantic operates three flights a week. Air Caraibes provides a route from Paris-Orly to San Salvador every Thursday, primarily serving the 89-acre Club Med Columbus All-Inclusive Resort with connecting flights available to other islands. JetBlue also provides flights from Paris to JFK, with same-day connections to Nassau. However, the most direct route to The Bahamas remains from London or the United States.
Multiple luxury establishments
Speaking of accommodations, The Bahamas continues to expand its hospitality offerings Nassau, the capital city has seen the renovation of an iconic institution like the British Colonial and the Sandals Royal Bahamian, and its Offshore Island have undergone renovations.
Other properties include Margaritaville and Goldwyn Resorts and Residences. The Goldwyn, for instance, boasts stunning views of both the ocean and a golf course. Soon, Grand Bahama Island will welcome Six Senses, a luxury lifestyle hotel focused on wellness, offering guests experiences centred around nature, nutrition, and relaxation. Sandals Resorts International is also transforming its Sandals Emerald Bay property in The Bahamas into the family-friendly Beaches Exuma. The resort closed in August, and the reopening date is still yet to be confirmed. Once completed Beaches Exuma will feature enhanced family accommodations, including multi-bedroom villas, upgraded dining options, a Kids Camp, splash deck, and play areas, along with signature amenities like the Red Lane Spa and the Greg Norman-designed golf course.
The country is home to a wide range of accommodations, from modest five-room hotels to large resorts, with a total of 18,000 hotel rooms and approximately 300 licensed hotels. The country also has bed and breakfasts, some of which are fishing or nature lodges, as well as ecotourism facilities. You will find them on islands such as Andros, The Abacos, Acklins and Crooked Island just to mention few. San Salvador and Cat Island have also become top kite-surfing destinations, particularly popular in the French market. For shark enthusiasts, November through March brings thrilling opportunities to dive with hammerhead sharks in Bimini, tiger sharks in Grand Bahama Island, or white tip sharks off the southern islands.
When it comes to luxury accommodations, the Bahamas Tourist Office has a few standout recommendations: the Ocean Club Four Seasons in Nassau, Rosewood at Baha Mar and the Cove at Atlantis. But don’t confuse Atlantis in The Bahamas with its replica in Dubai—The Bahamas' Atlantis remains the original. And as the Tourist Office officials vocalise, “When you talk about original, everything is original in The Bahamas.”
 Bahamas Tourist Office swimming with shark experience
Photo credit © Photo courtesy of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation
 Bahamas Tourist Office Swimming with Turtles
Photo credit © Photo courtesy of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation
 Bahamas Tourist Office Thunderball Grotto
Photo credit © Photo courtesy of The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation
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