In a significant step, The Bahamas has officially removed testing requirements for all travelers entering the country.

In a statement, the country announced that its testing requirements for entry had officially been eliminated.

That means travelers no longer need to show proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test result in order to enter the country.

The Bahamas becomes one of the most high-profile destinations in the Caribbean to remove its testing and vaccination rules, following a growing number of destinations that now includes hotspots like the USVI, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and St Kitts and Nevis, among others.

Testing is also no longer required for those traveling inter-island within The Bahamas, regardless of vaccination status.

And as of Oct. 1, face masks are no longer required in The Bahamas in most public settings, according to The Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism, Aviation and Investments.

It should be another boost for a destination that has been seeing surging tourism arrivals in 2022, measured by both land and sea arrivals.

The Bahamas’ Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Chester Cooper recently told Caribbean Journal he expected the destination to “exceed” its pre-pandemic tourism totals in 2023.

It has been a broad recovery for the destination, from traditional tourism strongholds in Nassau and Paradise Island (including strong occupancy at the Atlantis Paradise Island and Baha Mar resorts) and Grand Bahama, to Out Island getaways like Exuma, Bimini, Harbour Island, Eleuthera, Cat Island and Abaco, among others.

That will be driven, Cooper said, by a strong increase in the country’s hotel stock, both from expansions of existing hotels and new-build properties.

For more, visit The Bahamas.