Tourism in the Cayman Islands is in the midst of a strong recovery – and surpassing tourism officials’ own initial targets for 2022. 

The island had been forecasting a 40 percent recovery of its pre-pandemic tourism totals from 2019, but the destination is already at 53 percent — or 36,000 more visitors than the initial forecast. 

That number will rise as the second half of December’s tourism numbers are counted, meaning the territory will far exceed 200,000 annual visitors in 2022. 

Last month was the destination’s best-performing month, with a total of 34,118 visitors, followed by July, when the destination reported 32,356 visitors. 

Most importantly, tourism arrivals in October and November were at 91 percent and 89 percent, respectively, of the same period in 2019 — a very strong sign for Cayman’s tourism rebound. 

Taken out to the fourth quarter, air arrivals have been running close to a 90 percent average. 

“A sense of renewed hope is increasingly taking hold in our Islands, where tourism is concerned,” said Cayman Islands Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan. 

The strong tourism numbers come as Cayman’s national flag carrier, Cayman Airways, posted record-breaking months in October and November, exceeding the airline’s pre-pandemic records for both total passenger count and passenger revenue. 

“For decades, tourism has been a significant part of our nation’s identity,” Bryan said. “Tourism is our past, our present and definitely our future. As we head into 2023 it’s time for us to once again dream big where tourism is concerned. We have the will, we have the way, and we must have the passion to make it bigger, brighter and bolder than it’s ever been before. I have the confidence that 2023 will not just be a good year for tourism, it will be a great year, and I am committed to doing everything possible to make that prediction a reality.”

For more, visit Cayman Islands Tourism.