Brits flock to Cayman Islands as tourism figures 'exceed expectations'
Will PayneAlthough the Cayman Islands was among the last Caribbean destinations to fully reopen to visitors after the pandemic, tourism figures "exceeded expectations" in 2022, with Brits leading the way.
With cruise ships returning in March 2022 and travel restrictions not lifted until the end of August last year, the islands still welcomed 1,027,668 visitors.
While the US accounted for more than 80% of all stayover visitors last year, the UK and Ireland recovered the fastest, reaching 77% of 2019’s visitation level, followed by Canada and Latin America.
The numbers surpassed the islands’ goal of 200,000 stayover visitors in 2022, as well as its target of 40% of 2019 tourism tax revenues.
Visitation during the last quarter of 2022 averaged 89% of 2019’s arrivals and for the full calendar year, the Cayman Islands recovered 57% of 2019 business.
For 2023, the destination has set an overall visitation goal of 70% of 2019’s numbers, and minister of tourism and transport Kenneth Bryan is confident the territory will achieve its target.
"We anticipate 2023 will be a momentous year for tourism with a full calendar year of visitors to allow us to reset our seasonality aligned with new expectations for travel post-pandemic," he added.
"Our accommodation, restaurant and retail partners are primed to welcome guests, and we will continue strategic discussions with our airline partners to offer increased airlift to the destination to ensure a steady stream of visitors."
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