About 80 percent of visitors to the Bahamas come from North America. The dependence of the Bahamas on American tourists makes it sensitive to changes in the U.S. economy.
The Bahamian government has worked extensively to attract foreign investment in its tourism industry, according to the Encyclopedia of the Nations. The government has also pushed for privatization of hotels. Its ownership of hotels has dropped from 20 percent of existing hotels in 1992 to 5 percent in 2010.
While resort development has occurred mainly in New Providence and Freeport, eco-tourism potential exists in the entire island chain and could potentially become a major tourist draw.
