The Cayman Islands ended 2025 on a high note, recording its strongest December for tourism arrivals on record.

Official figures show the destination welcomed 54,830 stayover visitors in December, a 5.3 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024 and the highest December total ever recorded. 

Cruise arrivals also rose sharply, with 148,489 passengers visiting the islands during the month, up 10.4 per cent year on year.

Combined, total visitor arrivals for December reached 203,319, representing a 9 per cent increase over December 2024.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism Gary Rutty described the 2025 performance as encouraging, crediting strong partnerships across the tourism sector to its strategic partnerships.

“It is truly encouraging to see such strong growth in our stayover arrivals in 2025. The Cayman Islands continues to stand out from our competitors as a premier destination, and these results reflect the dedication of our tourism industry and our airline partners who continue to invest in our islands,” the minister said.

As we look ahead to 2026, we will continue to focus on strengthening our partnerships, enhancing our tourism product, and expanding airlift so that the Cayman Islands remains top of mind for travellers around the world.” 

The United States remained the Cayman Islands’ largest source market throughout 2025, accounting for 370,093 stayover visitors, a 2.7 per cent increase over the previous year. 

December arrivals from the US rose by 4.8 per cent, driven largely by increased travel from the Midwest and Southern states.

Growth was strongest from major urban centres such as Chicago, Dallas–Fort Worth, Miami–Fort Lauderdale and Houston, supported by expanded flight capacity from those cities following strategic engagement between tourism officials and airline partners.

Canada emerged as one of the destination’s strongest-performing markets in 2025, recording a 7.1 per cent increase in stayover arrivals. The country became the first source market to surpass pre-pandemic 2019 levels, reflecting sustained demand from Canadian travellers.

Monthly visitation records from Canada were set in March, July, September, November and December, supported by a 9 per cent increase in airline seat capacity. 

The launch of Porter Airlines service from Toronto and Ottawa in December, alongside expanded routes from Air Canada and WestJet, contributed significantly to that growth.

The United Kingdom and Ireland recorded steady gains, with 15,402 visitors arriving in 2025, a 3.1 per cent increase year on year. December proved particularly strong, with 2,017 arrivals — the second-highest monthly total on record for the market.

Continental Europe, however, ended the year with a 6.6 per cent decline compared to 2024, recording 5,784 visitors. Despite the annual decrease, December arrivals rebounded by 4.2 per cent, led by increased travel from Italy and supported by growth from Eastern Europe.

Latin America also closed 2025 on a positive note, posting a 3 per cent increase over the previous year. South America led the growth with a 9.5 per cent rise, while December arrivals from the region were up 8.8 per cent, driven by travellers from Honduras, Brazil and Argentina.

Expanded airlift played a major role in the destination’s overall performance. Six new North American routes were launched in December, helping push inbound seat capacity for the month to 88,014 seats — a 16 per cent increase year on year. Notable capacity increases were recorded from Miami, Chicago, Washington DC, Ottawa and Toronto.

Looking ahead, airlift for the January to April 2026 period is projected to grow by 18.1 per cent, with more than 358,000 inbound seats expected, marking one of the strongest first-quarter outlooks in recent years.

On the accommodation front, the Cayman Islands added 119 bedrooms to its inventory in 2025, bringing the total to 8,475 rooms, largely due to new condos and villas entering the short-term rental market. A further expansion of approximately 500 bedrooms is anticipated in 2026 with the opening of One|GT and the Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman Resort and Spa.

Hotel performance remained strong throughout the year. Data from STR Inc. showed a 2.8 per cent increase in average daily room rates and a 3.2 per cent rise in revenue per available room compared to 2024.

Tourism Director Rosa Harris said the results reflected consistent demand across key markets and the impact of targeted marketing and airlift development, positioning the destination for continued growth in 2026.

“2025 was an exceptional year for the Cayman Islands, not only because of our record-breaking December results, but due to the consistent demand we saw from our key markets throughout the year. Our investment in global marketing, travel trade engagement, and public relations—across the US, Canada, Latin America, the UK, and Europe—continues to yield strong returns,” Harris said. “Canada’s record-breaking year, in particular, reinforces the importance of innovative PR initiatives, targeted outreach, and close collaboration with our airline partners. We are especially proud of the confidence shown by our carriers, who expanded service and introduced new routes that created meaningful opportunities for growth. With robust airlift projected for early 2026, we are well positioned to continue this positive momentum.”