CTO News

Caribbean Tourism Maintains Strong Growth in 2024, Surpassing Pre-Pandemic Levels

BARBADOS (April 28, 2025) – The Caribbean tourism sector continued its robust recovery and expansion in 2024, with international tourist arrivals reaching an estimated 34.2 million, according to a new report from the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). This represents a 6.1% increase compared to 2023, and a 6.9% rise above pre-pandemic levels, marking the second consecutive year that the region has outperformed the 2019 benchmark.

The CTO’s “Caribbean Tourism Performance Review 2024” highlights the region’s resilience and enduring appeal, driven by factors such as strong demand from the United States, a rebounding Canadian market, and enhanced air connectivity.

Key Highlights from the Report:

• Overall growth: The Caribbean saw approximately 34.2 million international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) in 2024, an increase of 6.1% over 2023 and 6.9% over 2019.
• Top arrivals: The Dominican Republic remained the Caribbean’s most visited destination in 2024, welcoming 8.5 million tourists. Jamaica followed with 2.9 million arrivals, while Cuba (2.2 million), The Bahamas (1.9 million), Aruba (1.4 million), and Puerto Rico (1.0 million) reported top numbers. Collectively, these six destinations accounted for approximately 56 percent of all visitor arrivals to the region.
• YOY growth: The highest year-over-year growth in tourist arrivals was recorded in Montserrat, which saw a 29.4 percent increase, followed by St. Vincent & the Grenadines (27.2 percent), Belize (22.8 percent), and Curaçao (20.3 percent). These destinations posted the strongest relative gains in visitor numbers across the Caribbean in 2024.
• Pre-pandemic growth: Compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, Curaçao emerged as the best-performing destination with a 51.1 percent increase, followed by St. Maarten with 48 percent growth, and 41.8 percent in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Source Markets:

• The United States remained the top source market, with approximately 16.8 million arrivals, a 3.5% increase from 2023 and 7.9% above pre-pandemic levels.
• Canadian arrivals reached 3.3 million, a 4.0% increase compared to 2023, though still slightly below 2019 levels.
• European arrivals showed slower growth, with a 1.4% increase to 5.3 million, representing 89.4% of 2019 levels.
• Driven by ongoing efforts to enhance air connectivity and services across the region, intra-Caribbean travel experienced growth in 2024. Residents of the Caribbean took an estimated 1.6 million tourist trips within the region – an increase of 5.1% over 2023, though still only 79.2% of pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019.
• The South American market saw the highest growth in 2024, with arrivals reaching 2.0 million by the end of the year, marking a 17.8% increase. This sustained growth led to a 19.7% rise compared to 2019’s arrivals. Improved political and economic stability, along with strong travel demand in key markets like Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia, contributed to these results.
• Cruise Sector: The Caribbean cruise industry experienced a significant rebound, with 33.7 million cruise visits in 2024, a 10.3% increase over 2023, and a 10.9% increase over pre-pandemic levels.

Hotel Sector
The Caribbean hotel sector also performed strongly, with occupancy rates reaching 66.6%, a 0.8% increase from the previous year, and the Average Daily Rate (ADR) increasing by 4.2% to US$437.02.

Challenges and Outlook:

“Tourism in the Caribbean is expected to continue growing in 2025. However, due to prevailing economic uncertainties and slowdowns in major source markets during the first quarter of the year, the pace of growth is projected to be more moderate than earlier forecasts suggested,” said Aliyyah Shakeer, CTO’s Director of Research. CTO now anticipates that overnight visitor arrivals will increase by 2% to 5%, reaching approximately 35 million. The outlook for the cruise sector remains positive, with cruise arrivals expected to grow by 5% to 7%, approaching 36 million visitors.

“The Caribbean’s continued growth is a testament to the strength of our regional collaboration and the enduring appeal of our destinations,” said Dona Regis-Prosper, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

“Despite geopolitical uncertainty and global economic challenges, our sector has shown remarkable resilience. To maintain this momentum, we must double down on strategic investments, innovative partnerships, and sustainable practices that protect our people, our culture and our environment. The future of Caribbean tourism is not only bright – it is ours to shape,” she added.

CTO Invites Submissions for 2025 Caribbean Media Awards

BARBADOS (April 18, 2025) – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is celebrating the exceptional work of journalists and influencers who capture the essence of the Caribbean through storytelling at the 2025 Caribbean Media Awards. Taking place during Caribbean Week in New York, from June 1 to 6, 2025, the awards will honor outstanding media contributions from the U.S. and the Caribbean. Submissions are open to public relations agencies, CTO member countries, and the journalistic community.

“The Caribbean is more than a destination. It’s a vibrant collection of cultures, histories and experiences that deserve to be shared with the world. These awards recognize the storytellers whose work ignites curiosity, inspires travel, and deepens the global appreciation for our region,” said Dona Regis-Prosper, Secretary-General & CEO of CTO.

Entries are sought in the following award categories:

• Best Feature Article or Story: Recognizes excellence in long-form storytelling (print or online) that provides in-depth analysis, compelling narratives, and unique perspectives on Caribbean culture, history, etc.
• Best News Reporting: Honors exceptional reporting of breaking news, events or issues of significance to the Caribbean region that demonstrates accuracy and journalistic integrity.
• Best Podcast/Radio: Celebrates excellence in podcasting/radio reporting, whether itʼs storytelling, interviews or discussions offering engaging and informative Caribbean content.
• Best Photojournalism: Celebrates impactful visual storytelling through photography, capturing the essence of life in the Caribbean region, from daily life to cultural events, natural landscapes, or social issues.
• Best Video Production: Honors outstanding video production, including broadcast news segments, short films, or online video content that showcases the richness and diversity of Caribbean culture, people and landscapes.
• Best Social Media Campaign: Recognizes innovative and effective social media campaigns (by journalists or influencers) that engage audiences, raise awareness, or promote positive change on issues relevant to the Caribbean region.
• Best Personal Immersive Story: Highlights a feature story that demonstrated time in the destination, integration and deep exploration of off-the-beaten-path in a destination.
• Diaspora Journalist of the Year: Honors members of the Diaspora community who impact tourism in the Caribbean region through their storytelling.
• Emerging Journalist of the Year: Spotlights the achievements of up-and-coming journalists, reporters or content creators who have demonstrated exceptional talent, potential and commitment to excellence in Caribbean media.

Only entries submitted by CTO government members, their public relations agencies or qualified media shall be eligible. Minimum circulation for newspaper or magazine entries is 20,000 (1,000 for Caribbean media). All entries must have been published or broadcast in the 2024 calendar year. Only one entry per person per category will be accepted. Submissions should showcase creativity and thoughtful knowledge of the Caribbean and have a provocative story angle.

Criteria for the judging of entries shall be:

• Content – Relevance, accuracy, cohesiveness of material, adherence to journalistic standards
• Structure & Form – Relevance of topic, clarity, pace, structure (introduction, development and conclusion), presentation of information and ideas
• Title – Relevance of title, concision, clarity
• Quality of Language – Use of language, quality of syntax, quality of sentence structure
• Originality – Originality of ideas, ability to spark audienceʼs curiosity, boldness, creativity

Entries that do not meet the selection criteria will be disqualified.

Depending on their assessment of the standard of entries, the judges may withhold awards in any category as they see fit. They may also ascribe “Special Mention” (without award) to an entry where warranted. Decisions of the judges shall be final.

Entrants are required to submit their contributions at https://bit.ly/caribbeanmediaawards2025 by the deadline of May 1, 2025.

For questions or further information, contact caribbeanweek@marketplaceexcellence.com.