By: Staff Writer
May 29, 2026
Tourism demand for Latin American and Caribbean markets is increasing overall says the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) in their Caribbean Travel Trends Report 2026.
The report said: “Demand from Latin American markets is not only increasing overall but is also showing particularly strong growth in premium travel segments, with a rising share of searches and bookings in higher-end cabin classes, as explored later in this report. This trend points to a growing appetite for higher-value travel from the region, reinforcing Latin America’s role as a strategically important source market for the Caribbean.
“More broadly, the Caribbean continues to attract a wide diversity of travel profiles, which plays a crucial role in building destination resilience. Each destination is characterized by a distinct mix of visitors, underlining the importance of deeply understanding traveller segments.
“Leveraging these insights allows destinations to deliver the right messages to the right audiences at key moments in the travel planning cycle. Using travel intent data for targeting, destinations can engage potential travellers across channels, from social to digital content environments, while aligning campaign spend with origin‑specific search‑to‑book windows to maximize the effectiveness of targeted media strategies.”
The report added: “Among the top-performing destinations in the Caribbean, results reflect a mix of top-tier destinations such as Aruba and the Dominican Republic, and a group of second-tier destinations, defined as those representing less than 5% share of total demand.”
Dominica had a 22 percent year on year growth, Guyana with 19 percent and Sint Maarten with an 18 percent growth to round out the top three growth countries.
The report continued: “Persona‑based analysis highlights the diversity of travel profiles visiting the Caribbean and reinforces the importance of tailoring destination strategies to specific group dynamics and socio‑demographic segments. By understanding who is traveling, how they travel, and where they over‑index, destinations can more effectively align product development, marketing, and advertising to their strongest growth opportunities.”
Further adding: “Socio‑demographic insights add a further layer of differentiation. Travelers aged 26-45 account for the largest share of arrivals (35%), closely followed by the 46-65 segment (33%). Younger travellers under 26 represent 22%, while travellers aged over 65 account for 10% of arrivals.
“Younger travellers show stronger responsiveness to social media, video content, and peer reviews, performing particularly well in destinations such as the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and Turks and Caicos.
“Millennials and Gen X travellers are strongly represented in destinations including Saint Lucia, Curaçao, and Grenada, supporting demand for couples‑oriented, lifestyle‑driven experiences.
“Baby Boomers and older travellers over‑index in destinations such as Guyana, Anguilla, and Bonaire, where preferences lean toward comfort, authenticity, and longer lengths of stay—often supporting shoulder and low‑season demand.”