The Cayman Islands closed 2025 with record-breaking December visitation and continued positive momentum in stayover arrivals supported by strong airlift capacity, robust performance in key markets, and notable gains from Canada and the United States.

December 2025 delivered a historic result, closing the year with 54,830 stayover visitors – the highest December in recorded history and a 5.3% increase year over year. The destination also saw 148,489 cruise passenger arrivals for the month; a 10.4% increase compared to December 2024. Total visitation for the month (stayover + cruise) reached 203,319, an increase of 9.0% over December 2024.

Hon. Gary Rutty, Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism praised the sector’s performance in 2025 highlighting the destination’s 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.

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 in 2025 with 370,093 stayover visitors, an increase of 2.7% year over year. December showed particularly strong performance with arrivals up 4.8% compared to the same period in 2024.

The increase was driven by travellers from the Midwest and South regions with notable increase in visitors from major urban centres including Chicago, Dallas–Fort Worth, Miami–Fort Lauderdale, and Houston. This growth can also be attributed to increased airlift from Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, Chicago and Minneapolis as a result of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism’s strategic engagement with airline partners.

Canada delivered a standout performance in 2025 recording 7.1% growth year on year. Canada became the first market to surpass 2019 levels, underscoring its resilience and strong travel intent by the Canadian visitor.

The destination set Canadian monthly visitation records in March, July, September, November, and December, supported by a 9% increase in airline seat capacity. The introduction of Porter Airlines service from Toronto and Ottawa in December along with expanded capacity from Air Canada and WestJet, contributed significantly to this growth.

The UK & Ireland saw steady performance in 2025, welcoming 15,402 visitors, up 3.1% year over year. December was particularly strong, recording 2,017 visitors, the second-highest monthly total ever, a result of CIDOT’s investment in the UK and Europe via leading global trade shows like World Travel Market (WTM) London and IBTM World in Barcelona, Spain.