The Cayman Islands had more tourist air arrivals in March than in any month in its history.
The surge in Cayman’s first quarter of stayover tourism has it off to its strongest start of the year on record, with 160,335 air arrivals over the first quarter. This amount is nearly 10% more than in 2019, when there was a record 502,739 tourist air arrivals.
“This record-breaking winter season underscores the strength of the Cayman Islands’ tourism strategy and the resilience of our destination,” said Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism Gary Rutty.
Figures for the first three months show a sharp acceleration in visitor numbers. January recorded 47,047 arrivals, February followed with 49,075 and March surged to 64,213. Both January and March set air arrival records for the month and February’s number was a close second to 2020, which benefited from an extra day in the month because it was a leap year.
The March figure stands out. At more than 64,000 arrivals, it was the first time in recorded history that stayover tourist air arrivals topped 60,000 visitors.
When combining both stayover visitors and cruise passengers, Cayman received 221,731 visitors for the month of March, reflecting an overall increase of 12.6% over 2025.
The March figure brought a close to Cayman’s best winter season on record. December 2025 also set a record for the most air arrivals for the month, and during the period between 1 Dec. and 31 March, Cayman welcomed 215,165 stayover visitors.
If the current trajectory holds, 2026 is likely to exceed the 2019 record for the most tourist air arrivals.
The story behind the numbers
Several factors appear to be driving the surge. Increased airlift capacity, particularly from key US markets, has expanded access to Cayman.
At the same time, sustained demand for Caribbean travel amid global geopolitical tensions, and continued tourism marketing efforts through the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism’s “Welcome to VaCay” creative platform and campaign have helped maintain Cayman’s visibility in a competitive global landscape.
Director of Tourism Rosa Harris attributed the strong tourism numbers to a deliberately coordinated growth strategy that included targeted marketing and expanded airlift.
“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,” she said.
Expanding airlift and hotel occupancy
Air connectivity continued to underpin the overall performance. Combined inbound seat capacity from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada rose 5.9% year over year in March. The increase was driven by expanded service from key gateways including Chicago, Miami and New York, as well as additional capacity from Toronto and a new route from Ottawa.
Airlines contributing to the growth included United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Cayman Airways and Porter Airlines. The added lift has strengthened access to the destination and helped sustain momentum across multiple source markets.
The uptick in visitor numbers translated into stronger performance across the accommodation sector.
Data from STR Inc. shows hotel occupancy climbed 14% in March compared with a year earlier. Average daily rates rose 5.5%, while revenue per available room increased by 20.3%, indicating both higher demand and improved pricing power. For the first quarter, average daily rates were up 6.9% and Revenue Per Available Room or RevPAR increased 15.3%, underscoring tourism’s expanding role in supporting broader economic activity.
Top markets
The United States remained the dominant source market and reached a new peak.
March 2026 set a record with 53,050 US visitors, representing a 6% increase year over year and a 3.2% rise above the previous high recorded in March 2019. American travellers accounted for 82.62% of arrivals during the month and 80.83% across the first quarter overall.
Canada was also a key driver of winter tourism growth in March, extending its upward trajectory with 6,711 visitors. That figure marked a 49% jump compared with March 2025 and exceeded the previous monthly high recorded just a month earlier in February 2026.
“Exceptional growth from Canada and sustained increases in airlift demonstrate the confidence travellers continue to place in the Cayman Islands. These results deliver real economic benefits for our people,” said Rutty.
Beyond the core markets, several secondary and emerging regions contributed additional growth. Arrivals from the UK and Ireland reached their second-highest March total on record, rising 32.2% compared with the same period last year.
Continental Europe posted more modest gains, with arrivals up 4.5%. Mexico stood out with a 33.2% increase, supported by targeted marketing, public relations efforts and expanded engagement with travel trade partners.
“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,” Harris said.
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Predictably the Dept of Tourism claims their marketing strategy is responsible for the increased arrivals. However it seems that the increase in US airlines flying to Cayman along with the lower fares due to us being amongst the closest Caribbean destinations has a lot to do with it.