SVG leads Caribbean Tourism growth from US Market

St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has emerged as the top-performing Caribbean destination for growth in tourism arrivals from the United States (US) during the first quarter of 2025. Minister of Tourism, Carlos James James said 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%).

“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,” James is quoted in a release from the SVG Tourism Authority as stating.

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%).

The minister, highlighting the destination’s historic tourism achievements in 2024 said, “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 [the first quarter] of 2025 [year on year] on those numbers.”

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