Canadian Visits to the Caribbean Expected to Jump 14%

A report says international arrivals to the Caribbean should rise by 10% in the first half of this year. Canadian visits will rise 14%.

The Forward Keys Caribbean Travel Trends report for 2024 says international arrivals to the region show a 10% year-over-year increase for the first six months of this year, and a growth of 13% compared to 2019. That means Canadian visits to the Caribbean are outpacing those of the world as a whole.

It’s also worth noting that Caribbean tourism is 13% ahead of pre-pandemic levels, while the world as a whole is still down 16% from 2019.

The report says Toronto is the top-performing North American origin city for travel to the Caribbean for the first half of 2024, with arrivals up 23% year-over-year. This growth is supported by a 15% increase in seat capacity between Toronto and the Caribbean, with various airlines increasing the number of available flights.

In the first six months of 2024, 68% of all arrivals from Canada and the U.S. are expected to have flown directly to their Caribbean destination, an increase of five percentage points compared to pre-pandemic levels, the Forward Keys report said.

Family travel also is big business in the region.

“Arrivals of family-sized groups (3-5 passengers) to Caribbean destinations show an increase of +13% year-over-year-year in the first half of 2024. This matches similar growth in solo travellers, and exceeds that of couples, highlighting the importance of the family segment to tourism strategy in the region,” the report said.

“The Caribbean’s post-pandemic travel recovery is being driven by leisure visitors, with arrivals up by +11% year-over-year in the first half of 2024. In contrast, business travel is showing just 3% growth over the same period, highlighting the slower recovery of this segment as virtual meetings remain prevalent post-pandemic.

While overseas air passenger arrivals to the Caribbean show growth of 9% year-over-year in the first half of 2024, bookings in high-end cabins (First and Business Class) are substantially outperforming the market average, with growth of 39% compared to the same period in 2023, Forward Keys said.

“This demonstrates the enduring strength of luxury travel to the region as high-yield travellers continue to seek out exclusive Caribbean experiences, with Turks and Caicos, the Cayman Islands and the US Virgin Islands showing the highest growth — and collectively accounting for almost 10% of all premium class arrivals.”

Winning the derby for largest gain in forecasted arrivals for the first half of this year is Belize, with a sterling 30% increase. Curacao is projected for a 24% hike and Aruba for 20%. Other excellent results are expected for Grenada and Sint Maarten (19%).

Here’s the full Forward Keys report for projected international visitor arrivals in the first half of this year:

1. Belize 30%

2. Curacao, 24%

3. Aruba, 20%

4. Grenada, 19%

5. Sint Maarten, 19%

6. Puerto Rico, 18%

7. U.S. Virgin Islands, 18%

8. Turks and Caicos, 16%

9. Barbados, 14%

10. Dominican Republic, 12%

11. Cayman Islands, 11%