Amid escalating airfares, global political tensions, and strained relations with the United States, Canadians are increasingly turning to sunny getaways during the cold winter months. The Cayman Islands has emerged as a standout destination, reporting unprecedented numbers of visitors from Canada.
Record-Breaking Visitor Numbers
The self-governing British Overseas Territory, located between Jamaica and Cuba in the western Caribbean, concluded last year with a record 32,206 stay-over visitors from Canada. This milestone positioned Canada as the first country to exceed pre-pandemic visitation levels to the islands, achieving a 7.1% year-over-year growth. Monthly records were set in March, July, September, November, and December of 2025.
February's Remarkable Surge
The current year began with even stronger momentum. In February, the Cayman Islands welcomed 49,075 stay-over visitors, marking a 10.1% increase compared to the previous year and representing the second-highest February total ever recorded. Canadian visitors played a pivotal role in this growth, with 6,102 arrivals—a staggering 47% year-over-year rise. This figure stands as the highest number of Canadian visitors for any single month in the territory's history.
When including cruise ship passengers, the islands saw a total of 208,992 visitors in February, which is approximately two and a half times its resident population of about 89,000.
Contrasting Travel Trends
This surge in Canadian tourism to the Cayman Islands occurs against a backdrop of shifting travel patterns. According to Statistics Canada, Canadian visits to the United States plummeted by 22% in the first half of 2025 compared to the previous year. While the United States remains the dominant source of visitors to the Cayman Islands, accounting for 82.2% of arrivals in 2025, Canada has solidified its position as the second-largest market, surpassing Britain, which contributed 3.1% or just over 14,000 visitors.
Declines in Other Caribbean Destinations
Not all Caribbean locales experienced similar success. Jamaica, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Dominica, Anguilla, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Bonaire, and Antigua and Barbuda all reported declines in Canadian traffic in 2025. Industry analysts attribute these drops to rising costs, evolving vacation preferences, and heightened competition from other regions.
Driving Factors Behind the Boom
The Cayman Islands' tourism boom is largely fueled by expanded air service. In December, Porter Airlines initiated five weekly flights from Toronto and Ottawa to Owen Roberts International Airport on Grand Cayman, near the capital of George Town. Andrew Pierce, the airline's vice president of network planning and reporting, noted, "Grand Cayman is the fifth sun vacation market that Porter is launching this winter from both Toronto Pearson and Ottawa. Canadians' travel interest in the Caribbean is steadily growing, and now they can easily access the Cayman Islands from two prominent hubs in our network."
Additional carriers, including Air Canada, WestJet, and Air Transat, also provide service to the islands. Reports from caymancompass.com indicate that flight capacity from Canada has increased by 28% year over year, further facilitating this travel surge.
As Canadians continue to seek warm-weather escapes, the Cayman Islands' strategic enhancements in air connectivity and marketing efforts have positioned it as a premier destination, capturing a significant share of the evolving Canadian travel market.
