St Vincent Leads Caribbean Tourism Growth from US Market
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has emerged as the top-performing Caribbean destination for growth in U.S. tourism arrivals during the first quarter of 2025. According to Carlos James, Minister of Tourism, the island nation achieved an impressive 74.8% increase in U.S. visitors compared to the same period in 2024.
Minister James shared these results following his return from the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) Caribbean Week conference, held from June 1-8 in New York City.
A CTO report revealed that of the 11 Caribbean destinations reporting growth from the U.S. market, SVG led the region, followed by Curaçao (23.5%), Barbados (22%), and Antigua (12.4%).
According to Minister James, “This performance underscores the transformative progress in our tourism industry. We continue to position St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a globally competitive destination by embracing innovation, enhancing market intelligence and fostering greater collaboration among stakeholders.”
SVG also ranked among the top performers across all source markets, achieving 12.8% overall growth for the first quarter of 2025. Curaçao led with 16.6% growth, followed by Bermuda (9.8%) and Dominica (9.6%).
Minister James highlighted the island’s historic tourism achievements in 2024, “We had a record-breaking year in stay-over arrivals for 2024, with 102,766 stay-over visitors, this was a 27.2%increase on the previous year’s performance. In 2025 we are already seeing a 12.8% increase in Q1 of 2025 YoY on those numbers,” James said.
“Tourism is one of the leading contributors to our country’s GDP and creates direct and indirect opportunities through linkages across sectors, driving economic growth and improving livelihoods.” Minister James said.
The tourism minister commended stakeholders who contributed to this remarkable achievement. St. Vincent and the Grenadines continues to play a leading role in the region’s tourism recovery, the island nation reinforces its commitment to sustainable growth, global competitiveness and delivering unforgettable experiences to visitors.
