A growing number of superyachts are adding Bermuda to their destination lists, injecting money into the island’s economy.

Last year, the Bermuda Tourism Authority reported a total of 79 superyacht visits over the course of 2024, which brought in an estimated $3.77 million.

However, Mark Soares, of Bermuda Yacht Services at the East End, said this week that his firm alone had handled 57 superyacht visits since this March.

While the majority of those were transitioning between the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, Mr Soares said he had also seen a rise in both transient ships and boats using Bermuda as a destination.

He explained: “The transient season tends to taper off in June and then we will get vessels that are more coming and visiting and using Bermuda as a destination.

“Previous to the America’s Cup, that was not something that was common at all.

“At the moment, we have four superyachts, all with multiple rounds of guests on board. The vessels are here for the minimum of six weeks, some for eight or nine weeks, and they are doing guest trips weekly.

“These are not charters. These have private owners and are being used by family members and things like that, but it is important because they are using us as a destination.

“The more that they use us as a destination, the more we will become attractive to charter boats and others.”

Mr Soares said the feedback so far from captains and boat owners was fantastic. They gave glowing reviews of Bermuda and discussed return visits.

He added: “What we have seen is boats that are still planning to transit to the Mediterranean, but they are now planning to stop while they are on their way, staying for a few weeks, enjoying it and then pushing on to their regular Mediterranean season.

“They are planning the stop here, planning to have guests here and not just be a fuel stop.”

Mr Soares believed the rising number of visits could be attributed to the BTA’s promotion of the island overseas and positive word-of-mouth within the industry.

He told The Royal Gazette: “The word is out and things grow slowly and organically, but we have spent the last few years raising the Bermuda flag and saying we are here as a destination.

“It happened slowly — but I do think it is working. I think now we just need to continue to work on promotion and then actually execute. But it is starting to happen.”

Mr Soares said that he had also seen transient boats begin to use Bermuda as a “logistics stop”. He recalled working with one boat for five months as it brought in multiple shipments of engine parts.

The vessel also took aboard a submarine and hosted multiple crew exchanges.

“We have proved that we can provide the facilities, we have proven that we can get the jobs done and there is a shortage of dockage on the East Coast of the United States, so we are a viable place to stop and hang out,” he said.

“We are feeling great about it, we are getting great feedback on our services, great feedback on the island.”

Mr Soares said the number of superyachts visiting the island typically tapered off as the hurricane season picked up but added that there was a window with great potential for growth.

“Bermuda’s season is really that April, May, June and July, and it has got to be one of the greatest places in the world to be,” he said. “In April and May, it’s not really Mediterranean season or US East Coast season, but Bermuda is stunning.”

Mr Soares said that the increasing number of guests visiting the island meant that the financial impact of the superyachts could spread further through the community.

“We have had photo shoots, we have had an entertainer on the boats multiple times performing concerts and people have been loving it,” he said. “We are using local hotels and facilities as well for golf or spas or restaurants.

“It is definitely being felt in the economy and it provides jobs and revenue in the economy. The more boats that come with guests on them, the more we will feel the effect.

“The spending on island is great. They may not be in a hotel room, but if you are here in a hotel room, you are not getting your boat fixed, you are not hiring a welder and you are not buying fuel.”