GRAND CAYMAN — The Cayman Islands welcomed 437,842 stayover visitors in 2024, a year over year increase of 2%.
Two standout months for the destination were March 2024 – with the second highest number of arrivals ever, with 57,040 stayover visitors – and December 2024, with 52,046 stayover visitors, the second highest number of visitors for December and a YOY increase of 4.3%.
Revenue generated by tourism accommodation taxes and fees for January to November 2024 was KYD$38.5 million (Cdn$66.5 million), up 8% YOY. These revenues were bolstered by a 9% rise in the average daily rate (ADR).
Kenneth Bryan, Deputy Premier and Ministry of Tourism and Ports, said demand remained buoyant despite the challenges of an unusually active hurricane season.
“It was gratifying to see such positive growth in our stayover visitation numbers for 2024. Despite our strong results, globally the tourism sector faces economic, geopolitical and climate challenges. As an industry, locally we are not immune to these global shocks. We weathered a challenging hurricane season which saw the closure of Owen Roberts International Airport due to hurricane Beryl during one of our busiest travel periods in July,” said Minister Bryan.
CANADIAN MARKET, FLIGHTS & HOTELS
The Canadian market continues to be a growth market for the Cayman Islands, with new monthly records out of Canada in June, July, August, October, November and December. Visitor numbers were also up 5.3% year over year with Canada recording its second-best annual performance ever.
Airlift to the Cayman Islands was also up in 2024, by 8% for a total of 884,279 airline seats. The year’s 5,342 flights into the destination represented an increase of 461 flights over 2023.
From the Canadian market, Air Canada and WestJet both enhanced their Toronto service with 237 flights into the Cayman Islands in 2024, a YOY increase of 36 flights. Canada also saw a significant increase in seat capacity in December which was up 16.8% over the same period in 2023.
Meanwhile room inventory increased by 578 bedrooms to 8,356 in 2025, with the addition of VIDA Cayman Islands and Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman. Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman is the third IHG Hotels & Resorts property in the destination.
“2024 was a standout year for the destination not only from a visitation perspective, but also for our business development and marketing efforts,” said Rosa Harris, Director of Tourism.
