Monthly Economic and Financial Developments (MEFD) January 2026

Published: Monday March 2nd, 2026

Domestic Economic Developments

Overview

Indications are that in January, the domestic economy maintained its growth momentum vis-à-vis the same period in 2025, with key economic indicators gradually reverting to their long-term potential. Tourism sector activity continued to expand, with healthy gains in the cruise component occurring alongside improved indicators for the higher value-added stopover segment, which still faced capacity constraints. In monetary developments, banking sector liquidity increased, as the expansion in the deposit base outstripped the rise in domestic credit. Similarly, external reserves experienced seasonal growth supported by net foreign currency inflows through the private sector.

Real Sector

Tourism

Monthly data showed that the growth in tourism output featured robust gains in the cruise sector. Moderate strengthening was noted in the high value-added stopover segment, as significant gains in non-US markets outweighed both accommodation capacity constraints and decreased demand from the US-sourced market.

Preliminary data provided by the Nassau Airport Development Company Limited (NAD) revealed that total departures—net of domestic passengers—increased by 2.1% to 140,804 in January, relative to the comparative period last year. In particular, non-US international departures strengthened by 34.0% to 28,403 vis-à-vis the same 2025 period, outweighing a reduction in U.S. departures, by 3.7% to 112,401.

In the short-term vacation rental market, data from AirDNA showed that total room nights sold rose by 11.9% to 57,066 in January, relative to the same period of 2025. Underlying this outturn, the occupancy rates for entire place and hotel comparable listings firmed to 43.8% and 48.5% respectively, from 41.6% and 45.8% in the prior year. The average daily room rate (ADR) for entire place listings increased by 7.6% to $690.70, compared to the same period last year. Similarly, the ADR rate for hotel comparable listings moved higher by 5.0% to $178.10, vis-à-vis a year earlier.

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