Most of the Bahamas may soon cost more money.
The government there wants a piece of the profits from
the private islands.
They let the cruise lines operate.
Buck 13th, Brian Harrison tells us more about that.
Good morning. Hey, good morning.
So starting on March 1st,
cruise lines with those private islands in the Bahamas will
be required to pay a 10%
tax on all goods and services that they provide there.
So your perfect day at Coco K or Key,
I've heard it both ways,
could soon cost just a bit more.
So those goods and services that fall under the new
value added tax would include those.
Fun shore excursions, the cabana,
the chair rentals, and even entrance into those private water
parks.
So right now, the cruise lines are the ones footing
that tax bill.
But cruise analysts think it's really only a matter of
time before they pass the extra cost down to the
passengers.
They also think the new tax could push the industry
to find other accommodations.
Frankly, the cruise lines have been making a lot of
noise about their private island the last few years.
The countries are either going to be very friendly with
them and work with them,
or the cruise lines are going to look toward other
new destinations that may provide a more positive experience.
So this is a tax category that the Bahamian government
had historically waived for cruise lines that bring the tourism
to the country.
But all that changes come the 1st of next month.
Avid cruisers and cruise watchers are really left with just
one big question.
Why now? Analysts say the answer could probably be found
in the booming cruise numbers.
So since 2019, there's been a 6%
increase in cruise travel with 35.7 million people expected to
cruise sometime this year.
And like you mentioned, it seems the Bahamian government.
They want a piece of that,
Laura. Thank you.