Caribbean Tourism Surpasses Pre-Pandemic Benchmarks, Continues Upward Trend in 2024
The Caribbean tourism industry continued its impressive rebound in 2024, closing the year with an estimated 34.2 million international tourist arrivals. The figure represents a 6.1% increase over 2023 and a 6.9% jump above 2019 levels, confirming the region’s full recovery from the pandemic and its second consecutive year outperforming historical benchmarks.
The data, published in the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) latest “Caribbean Tourism Performance Review 2024,” underscores the sector’s sustained momentum, supported by strong demand from the United States, a resurgent Canadian market, and improvements in air connectivity throughout the region.
Top Performing Destinations
Leading the pack in visitor arrivals was the Dominican Republic, which welcomed 8.5 million tourists, retaining its title as the region’s most visited destination. Jamaica followed with 2.9 million, while Cuba received 2.2 million visitors. Other high-performing destinations included The Bahamas (1.9 million), Aruba (1.4 million), and Puerto Rico (1.0 million). Collectively, these six accounted for approximately 56% of all regional arrivals.
In terms of year-over-year (YOY) growth, Montserrat posted the most striking results with a 29.4% increase in arrivals. It was followed by St. Vincent & the Grenadines (27.2%), Belize (22.8%), and Curaçao (20.3%).
Compared to pre-pandemic levels, Curaçao emerged as the standout, boasting 51.1% growth over 2019. St. Maarten and the U.S. Virgin Islands also recorded substantial gains of 48% and 41.8%, respectively.
Key Source Markets
The United States remained the dominant source market, sending approximately 16.8 million travelers to the Caribbean in 2024 – a 3.5% rise from the previous year and 7.9% above 2019 levels. Canada also showed improvement, contributing 3.3 million visitors, up 4.0% from 2023, though slightly trailing its pre-pandemic record.
European arrivals showed more modest growth, increasing by 1.4% to reach 5.3 million, which is 89.4% of 2019 levels. Meanwhile, intra-Caribbean travel climbed by 5.1%, with regional residents taking around 1.6 million trips, although this remains at 79.2% of pre-pandemic levels.
A particularly noteworthy shift came from South America, where arrivals reached 2.0 million – a 17.8% rise over 2023 and a 19.7% jump compared to 2019. The report credits this surge to improved political and economic stability and strong demand in key countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia.
Cruise and Hotel Sector Growth
The Caribbean cruise industry also experienced a powerful resurgence, with 33.7 million cruise passengers visiting the region in 2024 – marking a 10.3% increase over 2023 and a 10.9% gain compared to 2019.
In the hotel sector, occupancy rates reached 66.6%, slightly up from the previous year. The Average Daily Rate (ADR) increased by 4.2%, hitting US$437.02, signaling continued confidence in the region’s hospitality offerings.
Outlook for 2025
Despite the strong results, the CTO forecasts a more moderate growth rate in 2025 due to economic slowdowns in key markets during the year’s first quarter. Aliyyah Shakeer, CTO’s Director of Research, projected a 2% to 5% increase in overnight arrivals, which would bring total visitation close to 35 million. The cruise sector is expected to see 5% to 7% growth, approaching 36 million visitors.
