Canadian visitors drive Cayman Islands' best month ever

The Cayman Islands broke tourism records in March 2026, welcoming 64,213 stayover visitors and surpassing 60,000 for the first time in history, powered in large part by an extraordinary surge in Canadian arrivals.

Canada delivered a 49 per cent year-over-year increase in March, with 6,711 visitors setting a new monthly record, eclipsing the previous high, set in February 2026, says the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. 

The surge was driven by expanded flight capacity from Air Canada and WestJet, alongside new Porter Airlines service from Toronto and Ottawa. 

Underpinning it was The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism’s targeted marketing, advertising, and public relations efforts, including the resonant 'Welcome to VaCay' campaign that connected with Canadian travellers. 

"Canada has emerged as the Cayman Islands' most dynamic growth market and a cornerstone of its record-breaking winter season," the tourism authority wrote in a press release. 

Canada's surge helped carry the Cayman Islands to its "best winter ever," with 215,165 stayover visitors across the traditional four-month period - anchored by a record December (54,830), record January (47,047), and the second-strongest February on record (49,075).

Total visitation for March, including stayover visitors and cruise passengers, reached 221,731, a 12.6% increase year-over-year, with double-digit gains also recorded from the UK & Ireland, Mexico, and Argentina and steady increases from the United States (US) and Continental Europe.

“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.”

“Canada is of our most important visitor markets,” added Raymond Mathias, Canada business development manager, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. “Canadians are discerning and the growth we're seeing is a direct reflection of what Cayman offers: ease of access and a level of sophistication that meets their expectations. That's why this market continues to thrive, and why we remain fully committed to nurturing it.”

United States surpasses 2019 high 

March 2026 was also 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 

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

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 also 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. 

“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 Rosa Harris, director of tourism, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. “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.”