Cayman Islands hails trade support following ‘perfect’ start to 2026

The Cayman Islands director of tourism has praised the trade for its role in helping the destination enjoy its “best winter season in recorded history”.

Speaking to Aspire, Rosa Harris described the trade as “exceedingly relevant and a priority”, and the “bedrock” of its strategy.

The destination ended 2025 with “record-breaking” arrivals, followed by its “best-ever” visitation numbers in January and February.

Harris said: “Since December, we’ve been having the [most] perfect performance that any destination could expect, with double-digit growth.”

She said part of the destination’s strategy is to grow its number of stayover visitors to equal the amount of cruise arrivals, creating “a more sustainable economic model”.

Stayovers increased by 13.6% in January, 10.1% in February and 12.6% in March, marking “the largest volume” the destination has ever seen.

This success can in part be attributed to the launch of its most-recent global campaign ‘Welcome to vaCay’, which responds to research conducted by the department of tourism that found 48% of Brits feel they are “missing out on much needed R&R time whilst away”.

Harris said: “Most people come back from holiday tired, stressed and needing another vacation.

“We’re the destination where you can do as much or as little as you wish to do, and we’re encouraging people to truly come and unwind, decompress and de-stress on holiday – then book their next trip and come back to do the same thing.”

She also highlighted the importance of distinguishing the Cayman Islands from other destinations, as it can “get caught up in larger names from the Caribbean”.

“We’re not looking for the same visitors as our competitors in the region, because we’re all very unique,” Harris said. “Everyone thinks the Caribbean is the same, but every country and culture is so distinct and so different, and a visitor will fall in love with a destination for different reasons.”

She referenced the country’s culinary scene, wellness offering and diverse range of activities as the main draws for visitors.

Another “top priority” for the destination is to flatten its seasonality and welcome more tourists in the summer months, which are typically its “toughest time of the year”.

Harris said she’s “positively cautious” with the summer season looking “very strong”, despite the travel industry facing challenges.

She added: “For us it’s very positive, with no negative fallout in terms of what’s going on in the Middle East, but it’s certainly a concern for our travel and tourism industry at large.”