by Brian Major
Last updated: 8:10 AM ET, Tue May 12, 2026
The Cayman Islands achieved its best month ever for
land-based overnight visitation in March 2026, welcoming 64,213 visitors and surpassing 60,000 visitors for the first
time in its recorded history.
The island’s total visitation for March, including
both overnight and cruise passengers, totaled 221,731 visitors, reflecting an
overall increase of 12.6 percent year over year.
Cayman’s record-breaking March was driven by double-digit
increases from Canada, the U.K. and Ireland, Mexico and Argentina, with steady
increases from the U.S. and Continental Europe.
Total visitation for March – including both stayover
visitors and cruise passengers - reached 221,731 visitors, reflecting an
overall increase of 12.6% year over year.
March delivered an impressive performance across key markets
with double-digit increases from Canada, the UK & Ireland, Mexico and
Argentina and steady increases from the United States (US) and Continental
Europe. In March, Canada drove the destination’s winter growth as it sustained
record-breaking momentum with 6,711 visitors. This was a 49% increase over the
same period in 2025 and surpassed the previous monthly visitation record set in
February 2026.
Canada’ strong growth is the result of flight capacity
increases from WestJet and Air Canada as well as new service on Porter Airlines
from Toronto and Ottawa driven by demand resulting from the Cayman Islands
Department of Tourism (CIDOT)’s marketing, advertising, and public relations
efforts.
The UK & Ireland reported its second-highest March on
record with a 32.2% increase in arrivals year-over-year while visitors from
Mexico were up 33.2% year-over-year which can be attributed to the
destination’s dedicated marketing, public relations and trade engagement in the
marketplace, said CIDOT officials.
March 2026 was the strongest month on record for the United
States with 53,050 visitors – a 6.0% increase year-over-year and a 3.2%
increase over the previous high of March 2019. In the United States, CIDOT
deployed a digital first advertising strategy for the winter with novel ways of
building awareness amongst potential visitors from the northeast. This strategy
included “Welcome to vaCay” ads triggered by a significant drop in weather
which encouraged visitors to trade the cold weather for the warmth of winter in
Cayman.
March’s standout results come on the heels of Cayman’s
best winter ever with the destination welcoming 215,165 stayover visitors
during the traditional four-month winter period supported by a record December
(54,830), January (47,047) and the second-strongest February on record (49,075).
Since the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (CIDOT)’s
launch of the global, “Welcome to VaCay” creative platform and campaign, the
Cayman Islands has seen accelerated growth in visitation as evidenced by the
strong results of the 2025/2026 winter season.
“This record-breaking winter season underscores the strength
of the Cayman Islands’ tourism strategy and the resilience of our destination,”
remarked Gary Rutty, Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism. “Exceptional
growth from Canada and sustained increases in airlift demonstrate the
confidence travelers continue to place in the Cayman Islands. These results
deliver real economic benefits for our people.”
March’s strong tourism performance demonstrated higher
visitation, and strong commercial results for the destination’s accommodation
sector. According to global hotel intelligence firm STR Inc., hotel occupancy
increased by 14.0% in March 2026 compared with March 2025, while average daily
rate (ADR) rose by 5.5% and revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased by 20.3%.
Year-to-date through March, ADR was up 6.9% and RevPAR rose 15.3%,
reinforcing tourism’s broader contribution to the wider economy.
“Achieving the best month ever and strongest winter for
stayover visitation in the history of Cayman Islands tourism reflects the
effectiveness of our data-driven marketing, travel agent and trade show
engagement, public relations and air service route development efforts,” said
Director of Tourism, Rosa Harris. “The department, in collaboration with
tourism partners, now shifts to our seasonal efforts to deliver a vibrant
summer offer and campaign to support the most critical visitation period for
the destination.”
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