Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (30 April 2026) – The Cayman Islands recorded its best month ever for visitation in March 2026 welcoming 64,213 visitors and surpassing 60,000 visitors for the first time in recorded history.
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.
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 travellers continue to place in the Cayman Islands. These results deliver real economic benefits for our people.”
Double-Digit Growth from Canada Strengthens Overall Visitation
In March, Canada was one of the destination’s core winter growth engines 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’s remarkable 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 CIDOT’s marketing, advertising, and public relations efforts.
United States Surpasses 2019 High
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 vaCay out-of-home ads triggered by a significant drop in weather which encouraged visitors to trade the cold weather for the warmth of winter in Cayman.
Secondary and Emerging Markets Drive Incremental Growth
The UK & Ireland reported its second-highest March on record with a 32.2% increase in arrivals year-over-year while visitors from Continental Europe were up 4.5% year-over-year.
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 market.
Increased Airlift Continues to Spur Demand
Total inbound airlift capacity from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada for March 2026 increased by 5.9% over the same period in 2025 driven by capacity increases from Chicago (United Airlines and American Airlines), Miami (American Airlines and Cayman Airways), New York (Delta) and Toronto and Ottawa (Porter).
These increases continue to strengthen connectivity to the destination and support sustained visitation growth across high-performing markets.
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 business performance and the wider economy.
To learn more about how tourism drives economic growth across the Cayman Islands, the public is encouraged to follow the Chamber of Commerce’s Tourism Matters series.
“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.”
The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (CIDOT) supports the overall strategic objectives of the destination by providing reliable statistical data, useful information and analysis for future planning, decision making, and policy formulation. CIDOT provides online statistical data in an easy-to-use format for persons requiring tourism related figures.
To view visitation statistics please visit: www.ourcayman.ky
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.
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 travellers continue to place in the Cayman Islands. These results deliver real economic benefits for our people.”
Double-Digit Growth from Canada Strengthens Overall Visitation
In March, Canada was one of the destination’s core winter growth engines 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’s remarkable 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 CIDOT’s marketing, advertising, and public relations efforts.
United States Surpasses 2019 High
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 vaCay out-of-home ads triggered by a significant drop in weather which encouraged visitors to trade the cold weather for the warmth of winter in Cayman.
Secondary and Emerging Markets Drive Incremental Growth
The UK & Ireland reported its second-highest March on record with a 32.2% increase in arrivals year-over-year while visitors from Continental Europe were up 4.5% year-over-year.
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 market.
Increased Airlift Continues to Spur Demand
Total inbound airlift capacity from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada for March 2026 increased by 5.9% over the same period in 2025 driven by capacity increases from Chicago (United Airlines and American Airlines), Miami (American Airlines and Cayman Airways), New York (Delta) and Toronto and Ottawa (Porter).
These increases continue to strengthen connectivity to the destination and support sustained visitation growth across high-performing markets.
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 business performance and the wider economy.
To learn more about how tourism drives economic growth across the Cayman Islands, the public is encouraged to follow the Chamber of Commerce’s Tourism Matters series.
“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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The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (CIDOT) supports the overall strategic objectives of the destination by providing reliable statistical data, useful information and analysis for future planning, decision making, and policy formulation. CIDOT provides online statistical data in an easy-to-use format for persons requiring tourism related figures.
To view visitation statistics please visit: www.ourcayman.ky