The Cayman Islands has posted the strongest January in its tourism history, as expanded airlift delivered a record-breaking start to 2026, alongside early signs of shifting source market dynamics.
With 47,047 stayover visitors, January 2026 surpassed the previous January record of 42,851 set in 2020 by nearly 10%, and exceeded January 2025 arrivals by 13.6%. The result follows December 2025’s record performance, marking the second consecutive month of historic highs.
Beneath the headline growth, the data suggests an emerging shift in source market composition, potentially reflecting the impact of targeted airlift strategies.
Record US visitation amid a diversifying market
The United States, Cayman’s long-standing primary source market, generated 37,879 visitors in January – an 11.2% year-over-year increase and the highest January total ever recorded from that market. Despite that growth, its relative share of total arrivals edged lower.
The US accounted for 80.5% of January arrivals, down from 82.22% in January 2025, a decline of 1.72 percentage points. During the same period, Canada’s share rose from 8.97% to 10.95%, an increase of nearly two percentage points.
Europe remained broadly stable, shifting marginally from 4.57% to 4.51%.
The data does not point to any weakening in US demand, which remains firmly in the low-80% range, but rather to a gradual diversification effect, with Canada emerging as a more influential contributor to overall growth.
January marked Canada’s strongest month on record, with 5,151 stayover visitors – a 38.6% year-over-year increase that extended momentum from the prior year. Total Canadian arrivals reached 32,206 in 2025, the highest annual figure ever recorded, up from 30,077 in 2024. Before that, 2019 had stood as the benchmark year, with 30,128 Canadian stayover visitors.
In proportional terms, Canada is now the only source market outside the United States in double digits, reinforcing its position as Cayman’s most tangible diversification lever.
The UK and Ireland also posted steady gains, rising 11.4% year over year to set a new January record, while continental Europe increased 14%, led by Germany. Ongoing engagement in the DACH region – Germany, Austria and Switzerland – has been cited as supporting that growth.
Shifts align closely with expanded airlift
Tourism officials have framed the results as validation of deliberate, data-driven airlift decisions designed to expand high-performing markets.
Tourism Director Rosa Harris said that with strong forward airlift projections for 2026, the destination is well positioned to sustain that demand throughout the year.
According to prior projections, inbound flight capacity between January and April is set to grow 18.1% year over year, delivering an estimated 358,512 seats – the strongest first-quarter outlook in recent years. January alone saw 90,060 inbound seats from the United States, Canada and the UK via Nassau, an increase of 18,750 seats compared with the prior year.
Looking ahead, approximately 44,000 additional inbound seats are scheduled between February and May 2026 from the United States, Canada and the UK via Nassau compared with the same period in 2025.
Growth in Canadian stayover arrivals appears to be closely aligned with expanded airlift, coinciding with an 89% increase in seat capacity from Canada, including additional direct-flight service from Toronto and Ottawa by Porter Airlines that began in December.
Within the US itself, regional patterns also hint at evolving dynamics. The Midwest posted the strongest gains at 12.8% year over year, supported by expanded airlift from Chicago and Detroit. The South rose 6.9%, while the West grew 2.9%, aided by service from Denver on Cayman Airways. These gains reflect incremental broadening beyond traditional East Coast gateways.
A dip in cruise tourism
The latest data underscores that, despite the broader recovery in global cruising, Cayman’s cruise segment continues to operate well below its historical scale, marking a stark contrast to the record-setting performance currently seen in stay over tourism.
Cruise arrivals fell to 145,707 passengers in January 2026, an 11.2% decline from 164,076 in January 2025 and below the 149,392 recorded in January 2024. The figure remains far short of pre-pandemic January volumes, which regularly surpassed 200,000 and peaked at 271,111 in 2019.
Cruise arrivals in January were impacted by weather-related disruptions. Cayman experienced multiple cold fronts in January 2026, bringing cooler temperatures, rough seas and periods of increased rainfall, particularly toward the end of the month and into early February.
Across six separate days in January, 10 scheduled cruise calls were missed. The affected vessels included two calls each from Norwegian Prima and Disney Treasure, along with MS Allura, Norwegian Star, Adventure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Rotterdam and Resilient Lady. In total, 92 ships called on port during the month.
Total visitation for the month of January – combining stayover and cruise visitors – reached 192,754 visitors.
Related Videos
If there was a direct flight from Germany there would be a big increase in visitors from Central Europe There are more flights from Canada so more visitors from there
Guarantee that if there were direct flights from either Calgary or Vancouver there would be even more Canadian tourists. One only has to look at the large number of Canadians in Western Canada in the Montego Bay area this time of year. This is due in large part due to the direct flights from those 2 cities in Western Canada to Jamaica.