Why Canada’s travel reset is benefiting Cayman

Cayman is on track to record its strongest year ever for Canadian stayover tourism, defying a slowdown taking place in other markets.

While many Caribbean destinations are reporting declines in Canadian arrivals, Cayman is seeing momentum move in the opposite direction. November alone delivered a 16.1% year-over-year increase, marking the fourth monthly record of 2025, with December figures still being tallied.

The Cayman Islands welcomed 30,077 Canadian stayover visitors in 2024. By November 2025, arrivals had already reached 27,190, and if December mirrors last year’s roughly 4,300 visitors, the destination will surpass its previous high. Cayman’s best year on record for stayover tourism remains 2019, when 30,128 Canadians visited.

Rosa Harris, director of tourism, describes Canada as Cayman’s strongest and most resilient secondary market.

“Canada is one of our established secondary markets. It is our strongest performer, almost recovering, at 95%, from our best year ever of 2019,” she said, noting that Canadian arrivals set monthly records in June, July, August, October, November and December 2024.

“No other source market has made it that close to full recovery,” she said.

Outperforming the competition

The broader context makes those figures even more striking. According to Statistics Canada, Canadian travel to the United States fell by nearly 22% year over year in the first half of 2025, with political tensions, border scrutiny and shifting travel preferences dampening enthusiasm for cross-border trips.

At the same time, Canadians are travelling farther afield. Overseas trips rose more than 10%, with spending up more than 28%, as travelers opted for fewer, longer and more experience-driven vacations.

In the Caribbean, however, that pivot has been uneven. Cuba saw a 21% decline and Dominican Republic saw more than 20% fewer Canadian visitors in the second quarter.

Jamaica, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Dominica, Anguilla, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Bonaire and Antigua and Barbuda also recorded declines in Canadian traffic in 2025, with drops being attributed to “rising costs, changing vacation habits, and competition from other regions”.

Reasons for Cayman’s growth

The easy explanation for Cayman’s growth is airlift. Non-stop flights from Toronto and now Ottawa keep total travel time under four hours, making Cayman competitive with Florida without the uncertainty many Canadians now associate with US travel.

That shift is part of a wider realignment. Travel and Tour World reports that declining Canadian travel to the US is prompting airlines to redeploy capacity toward international routes, as part of a broader strategic reset.

Travel agencies and tour operators are moving in tandem, reshaping their offerings to meet rising demand beyond the American market.

The impact is already visible in the numbers. Capacity from Canada is up 28% year over year, driven by expanded Cayman schedules from Air Canada and WestJet, with a major new entrant – Porter Airlines – joining the mix.

“Canadian travel interest in the Cayman Islands is steadily growing,” said Andrew Pierce, vice president, network planning and reporting for Porter Airlines.

Marketing is another factor. In early November, the Cayman Islands received a major visibility lift through a week-long broadcast partnership with Canadian media giant Rogers, with the destination featured across Canada’s top morning show, Breakfast Television, reaching more than one million viewers nationwide.

Cayman’s growth could also be tied to its alignment with emerging Canadian travel behaviour. Skyscanner’s analysis of Canadian search data shows travellers gravitating toward destinations that feel distinct and under the radar.

“Canada is one of our strongest markets showing growth in interest and arrivals,” said Raymond Mathias, Canada business development manager at Cayman’s Department Tourism in an interview with Suburban Magazine. “We’re not a mass market destination, which is a big plus for Canadians looking for a relaxing getaway without hordes of tourists,” he said.

Then there is the nature of the trip itself. Statistics Canada reports that Canadians now spend an average of $2,435 (CI$1,480) per overseas visit. While price still matters, particularly for flights and accommodation, this is nearly double what Canadians spend on US trips, and more in line with the budgetary outlay of a short trip to Cayman.

Looking ahead to 2026, tourism officials expect momentum from Canada to continue.

“We expect continued growth from the Canadian market as Cayman Cookout and our diverse calendar of signature culinary and entertainment events continue to resonate strongly with Canadian travellers and drive demand,” read a statement from the Department of Tourism.