On Location: “Exciting to watch”: Bermuda sees 35% jump in Canadians amid U.S. decline

Bermuda has seen an uptick in Canadian visitors this year as travellers look for alternative destinations outside of the United States.

Overall, there has been year-over-year growth of about 31 per cent, Jamari Douglas, vice president of marketing, PR and communications at the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA), told PAX during a recent visit to the destination.

“We’re expected to hit about 35 per cent [growth] by the end of the year,” he said. “It’s been quite exciting to watch.”

Douglas attributes the growth to a few reasons. One, BermudAir launched direct flights from Toronto and Halifax in 2024, then Montreal in 2025.

That presented the BTA with the opportunity to go into those markets and raise awareness of the island destination, while the flights encouraged growth from those locations.

In a recent interview with PAX, BermudAir's CEO Adam Scott noted a strong level of interest and strong numbers coming out of Canada.

“We're particularly pleased with our Canadian network,” he said. 

Next summer, out of Toronto, BermudAir will see a 15 per cent rise in capacity with six weekly flights. Flights to Bermuda from Halifax, meanwhile, will increase to three times per week from two.

Douglas also points to rising geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Canada as another factor driving more Canadians toward Bermuda — a view Scott shared.

Given its close proximity compared to other Caribbean islands, the destination presents a viable alternative for Canada, Douglas said. 

He noted that it is only a 90-minute flight from New York and under three hours from Toronto to get to Bermuda.

“[You can] wake up in the morning in your own bed and by the afternoon be laying on the beach,” he said.

Finally, the BTA executed a targeted marketing campaign to Canada in March 2025 that won a Magellan Award for its social media.

The campaign, titled Bermuda Welcomes You, encouraged Canadians to give Bermuda a try. Douglas said the destination experienced growth after that effort.

According to the BTA, most Canadian visitors that travel to Bermuda come from central Ontario at 39 per cent, followed by the Greater Toronto Area at 35 per cent.

Travel from central Ontario has increased 32.4 per cent year-over-year. In Atlantic Canada, the vast majority of visitors come from Nova Scotia at 74 per cent, followed by New Brunswick at 15 per cent. Travel from Nova Scotia has increased 85.3 per cent year-over-year, Douglas said.

“Halifax was always a close cousin of Bermuda,” he said. “Many students from Bermuda end up going to Halifax for schooling.”

Lingering hurdles

While Canadian travel has increased, the archipelago still has had its challenges.

It has had to deal with lower hotel capacity after two properties, the Fairmont Southampton and the Elbow Beach Hotel, closed in 2020.

Douglas said that the closure of the Fairmont Southampton and its 587 rooms in 2020 was felt by the island. The loss of event spaces, for one, meant Bermuda hasn’t been able to host as many groups as they may have wanted.

The hotel, though, will reopen in 2026 after a $565 million investment into the property.

Luxury hotel group The Loren has also bought the Elbow Beach Hotel and plans to open it again under their own brand around 2029.

When it reopens, Douglas said that could spur some airlines to increase their capacity as well.

Bermuda also has to convince travellers to visit during the off-season when it can get cooler than its Caribbean neighbours to the south.

Douglas said the temperature can get down to 15 degrees Celsius in January to March, when many travellers hope to escape the cold of winter, leading them to possibly avoid going into the water at that time.

All of Bermuda is a resort

When in the destination, Douglas encourages visitors to explore as much as possible – all the nooks and crannies, rather than just sit on a beach.

Given that there is only one all-inclusive resort on the island, the Grotto Bay Beach Resort, all of Bermuda is a resort, he said.

He highlighted the island’s safety, where visitors can feel comfortable exploring the island on their own and recommended certain sites.

Those include the Crystal Caves, which served as the inspiration for the TV series Fraggle Rock, as well Bermuda’s famous pink sand beaches.

Then there’s the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, which the BTA has actually tried to lean into and its mystique rather than avoid by including a triangle in their logo.

 “We want people to know that you don’t have to be afraid of the triangle,” Douglas said. “We’re the tip of the triangle. We will own that and we’re proud of that.”

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