The Bahamas is on Tripadvisor’s list of ten slowest growing destinations for Americans, according to the travel website’s most recent review of travel trends for the 2021 spring period, March 1 to May 31, and based on volumes of searches for this destination.

Tripadvisor’s data reveal that while Americans are “lusting after beach resorts and ocean views”, their interest in The Bahamas has declined year-on-year.

It noted that that of Americans who are actively planning a trip for spring on Tripadvisor, over one-third (34 per cent) are searching for international destinations, compared to 66 per cent searching for domestic destinations.

Addressing the 50th General Assembly of the Organisation of American States last year, the country’s permanent representative, Sidney Collie, said that with the country’s economy relying heavily on tourism, the closure of the borders and restriction in the movement of people have resulted in a severe slowdown of economic activity.

Moreover, he said the growing challenges have highlighted the importance of moving beyond antiquated methodologies including the use of gross domestic product per capita in determining access to concessional financing.

However, Tripadvisor further indicated that more Americans are interested in travelling again, compared to the corresponding period last year when the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to travel.

“While 2020 was the year of the staycation, with the vaccine roll-out comes increasing confidence in bigger trips,” Tripadvisor states.

The data reveals that one-third of Americans are interested in visiting sunny locales within the continental United States, Mexico and areas of the Caribbean.

The ten slowest destinations include New York City, New York; San Francisco, California; Washington, DC; New Orleans, Louisiana; Los Angeles, California; Nashville, Tennessee; San Diego, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Chicago, Illinois; and Nassau, The Bahamas.

While Isla Verde, Puerto Rico; St Thomas; Playa Maroma, Mexico; Tulum, Mexico; Key West, Florida; Key Largo, Florida; Miami Beach, Florida; Christiansted, US Virgin Islands; Cruz Bay, US Virgin Islands; and Fort Myers Beach, Florida, are the ten fastest growing destinations for Americans.