Five million visitors. It’s not an assertion that tourism officials are prepared to make at this point but there are suggestions that the numbers didn’t reach that mark in 2007.

Five million visitors. It’s not an assertion that tourism officials are prepared to make at this point but there are suggestions that the numbers didn’t reach that mark in 2007.

Five million has become somewhat of a barometer for success in tourism over the last five years. The feat was achieved was in 2004.

Currently, the data is still being collated, but there are apparently doubts even without the final numbers.

"As tourism has grown over the decades, so too have our challenges," said Russell Miller, president of the Bahamas Hotel Association.

"These challenges became ever more pronounced in 2007 as visitor arrival numbers failed to meet expectations. This past year should demonstrate clearly to all of us that we cannot take tourism for granted. Our most successful competitors have not."

The latest figures from the Ministry of Tourism show that up to last October, just under four million visitors had chosen The Bahamas as a vacation destination which was 3.8 percent less than the total tourists who had graced these shores between January and October 2006.

The figures also showed that 2.3 million of those visitors who came to The Bahamas between January and October last year arrived in New Providence, while the other 540,000 were recorded for Grand Bahama and another one million traveled to the Family Islands in that period.

Data also shows that in the month of October alone there were over 298,000 tourist arrivals.

The statistics are provided from the Immigration Department that takes a head count of all foreign visitors and transit arrivals to The Bahamas. The figures exclude cruise ships, diplomatic personnel and returning residents.

The Central Bank of the Bahamas also just recently referred to tourism data in its latest report on economic and financial sector developments. The report indicated that visitor arrivals for the third quarter increased by 1.7 percent to 1.0 million in comparison to the same period the year before. A 4.8 percent improvement in air passengers and a modest .2 percent rise in sea visitors accounted for it, the bank said.

The improvement was concentrated in the New Providence and Grand Bahama markets which secured increases of 2.6 percent and 15.1 percent respectively. Conversely, a reduction in sea traffic to the Family Islands resulted in total visitors declining by 5.8 percent, it added.

Minister of Tourism Neko Grant blamed a softening US economy - in part - for the less than stellar performance in tourist arrivals last year, much like his colleagues in government who have pointed to the same reason for overall slowed economic performance in The Bahamas.

"It is often said that if somebody in the US sneeze we catch the flu the US economy has been soft we have also been hit by the passport issue," he said.

"Years ago we were the marquee country – if you will – for the impulsive traveler he woke up and he decided he wanted to travel. He came to The Bahamas because all he needed was a proper identification. Now to return home, he has to have a passport and so that has affected our arrivals."

According to figures from the Ministry of Tourism, there were 4.7 million visitors in 2006 and 4.8 million in 2005.

In the meantime, work is underway on a number of tourism related projects as a heavy part of the focus remains on beefing up the tourism plant to accommodate high-end clientele.

In New Providence, the Baha Mar properties along Cable Beach are being renovated and Albany has started work in its billion-dollar development to the island’s southwest. Kerzner International last year opened two more towers in its phase III project for the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.

Mr. Miller pointed out that commensurate with a decade long shift towards The Bahamas becoming a high-end destination is the demand that a high quality product is delivered.

"Looking to the future, we are excited about the new tourism related investments coming on stream. New terminal facilities for Lynden Pindling International Airport are planned and airport improvements in Abaco are beginning to take shape," he said.

"Increasingly, the world is discovering our Family Islands. And Grand Bahama is laying a foundation for its future with an exciting branding and enculturation programme now in place."

The point he made was that with growth and increasing global competition, it becomes even more critical that as a nation The Bahamas faces its challenges head on.

"The coming year will require a new commitment by all Bahamians to meet these challenges," he said.

"Our human and physical infrastructure needs must be addressed at a level beyond that which we’ve yet to do. Our industry must be sustainable and more needs to be done to safeguard and enhance our physical environment."

2007 is set to be the fourth year of growth above the long-term average of 4.1 percent and is well on track to become the third consecutive year with a differential of about 1.5 percent above the long-term rate, according to the United Nations World Tourism Barometer.

The report also said there were 610 million international tourist arrivals from January to August, 32 million more than what was counted for the previous year.

International tourist arrivals for the first eight months of 2007 point to a continuation of the sustained growth rate experienced over the past years, officials said.