Bahamas Tourism Association Names Sandy Sands Interim President as Weech Joins Ministry
TOURISM · BAHAMAS
Key Facts
- —The country The Bahamas, an island nation off Florida that lives on visitors. A US Commerce Department guide, updated April 2026, credits tourism with about 70% of GDP and over half of all jobs.
- —What happened On 29 September 2026 the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) named Robert “Sandy” Sands interim president. He replaces Jackson Weech, who becomes Director General of Tourism on 1 October.
- —The numbers 12.5 million visitors in 2025, up 11.4% (Ministry of Tourism, January 2026). Arrivals for January to July 2026 rose 14.8% to 8.5 million (Central Bank of The Bahamas, August review).
- —What it means for you The hotels’ main lobby and the ministry’s senior technical post are now linked by one career. Closer work on airlift, staff training and overnight stays is the stated aim.
- —Still open Sands serves only until the BHTA annual general meeting on 2 December 2026, when officers and directors are elected. Whether he will stand for a full term has not been reported.
The main Bahamas tourism association, which speaks for the country’s hotels, has put a familiar figure back in charge. The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) named Robert “Sandy” Sands interim president, state broadcaster ZNS reported on 29 September.
Sands replaces Jackson Weech, who leaves to become Director General of the Ministry of Tourism from 1 October. The Nassau outlet Eyewitness News also reported the handover on 30 September.
A Veteran Returns for Two Months
Sands is the association’s immediate past president. According to ZNS, he has already led the BHTA for five terms, or ten years, dating back to 1990.
He will hold office until the annual general meeting on 2 December 2026. Elections of officers and directors take place that day.
Sands praised Weech for leading with “competence, consideration, resolution”. He called the ministry’s choice “an astute decision” that should strengthen ties between the industry and government.
“We look forward to working with him collaboratively in his new capacity,” Sands said. For this Bahamas tourism association, the move places a former president inside the ministry it lobbies.
Record Arrivals, but Cruise-Heavy
The handover comes during the strongest run in Bahamian tourism history. The country received 12.5 million visitors in 2025, up 11.4%, then-minister Chester Cooper told Parliament in January.
Sea arrivals, mostly cruise passengers, passed 10.6 million, up 14%. Foreign air arrivals were nearly 1.7 million, 1.6% below 2024.
Air visitors fill the rooms that BHTA members sell. Stopovers reached 1.821 million in 2025, only just above the 1.806 million of 2019.
This year the pace has held. Arrivals from January to July rose 14.8% to 8.5 million, the Central Bank of The Bahamas reported in its August review.
Sea visitors made up 7.2 million of that total. Air arrivals grew 5.8% to 1.2 million, a slower but still positive trend for hotels.
The sector’s weight is hard to overstate. A US Commerce Department guide, updated in April 2026, says tourism generates about 70% of GDP and employs over half the workforce.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) found stayover growth “relatively flat” in its 2025 review. It flagged a global slowdown as a threat to tourism demand.
Around 80% of visitors come from the United States, the IMF noted, according to The Nassau Guardian. See our guide to the Bahamian economy for background.
From Hotel Lobby to the Ministry
The Ministry of Tourism named Weech Director General effective 1 October, TravelPress reported. He had been BHTA president since December 2024.
Weech most recently served as vice president and general manager of the Royal Towers at Atlantis Paradise Island. His career spans more than 35 years in the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Britain.
Tourism Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin, who in May became the first woman in the post, said he “understands this industry from the ground up”. The ministry cited “several record-setting months” in 2026.
In June the BHTA set out its priorities for the new minister. They included workforce training, stopover growth, Family Island airlift and better infrastructure, Eyewitness News reported.
Weech led that delegation, with Sands beside him as immediate past president. The Bahamas tourism boom of 2026 gives those demands extra weight.
What Is Not Yet Known
It has not been reported whether Sands will seek a full term on 2 December. No other candidates have been named either.
The ministry has not said which BHTA priorities Weech will take up first. Full-year arrival figures for 2026 will only be published in early 2027.
Sources: ZNS Bahamas, 29 Sep 2026; Eyewitness News, 30 Sep 2026; TravelPress, 29 Sep 2026; Eyewitness News on the Central Bank August review, 29 Sep 2026; Eyewitness News on 2025 arrivals, 29 Jan 2026; Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, 2024 arrivals; US International Trade Administration, Bahamas market overview, Apr 2026; Eyewitness News on the IMF, 15 Dec 2025; The Nassau Guardian, 17 Dec 2025; Caribbean Journal, 17 May 2026; Eyewitness News, Jun 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
Read More from The Rio Times