The 2026 Caribbean Hospitality Financing Survey from global consultants Baker Tilly highlighted Cayman as one of the most attractive hotel investment jurisdictions in the region.
Every year Baker Tilly surveys banks and non-bank actors, such as private equity and family offices, that finance tourism projects in the Caribbean. Cayman emerged as one of only five Caribbean destinations where both banks and non-bank financiers feel bullish about funding new projects.
The anonymised quotes from the surveyed bankers and investors also praised Cayman. “Cayman, Bahamas, Jamaica due to stability, airlift and proximity to key source markets,” said one.
“Turks & Caicos, Cayman and Anguilla,” said another. “British dependent territories [with] strong land registry.”
“Turks and Caicos, Cayman and Bahamas,” said a third. “Strong land registry.”
“Cayman Islands,” said a fourth. “We know the jurisdiction and we have seen the performance.”
Main concerns
A separate section of the report listed the main concerns held by financiers of hotels, resorts and tourist-focused real estate in the Caribbean.
“Airlift continues to be the most critical issue for both banks (100%) and non-banks (92%),” read the report. “For non-banks, crime (85%) and outdated infrastructure (85%) were considered joint second most important. For banks, access to insurance was second (86%).”
Cayman clearly performs well on airlift. Total inbound airlift capacity from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada for April 2026 increased by 15.1% over the same period in 2025.
Crime is another area where Cayman stands out in the region. Despite recent concerns about robberies, it remains one of the safest places in the Caribbean. Cayman’s 2023 murder rate was 5.6 per 100,000, versus 43.85 in Jamaica, 38.93 in Honduras and 32 in the Bahamas. Yet the hospitality financiers preoccupation with “outdated infrastructure” should cause alarm in Cayman, which is struggling to upgrade some of its electricity, transport and solid waste manage facilities, as well as Owen Roberts International Airport on Grand Cayman.
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